


Side A, Side B

by thundercatsarego



Category: Preath, Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, PREATH - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-08-22 18:59:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 55,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8296615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thundercatsarego/pseuds/thundercatsarego
Summary: Meeting in camp for the first time, the attraction is instant, but both are oblivious. The story of Christen Press and Tobin Heath told from both perspectives. When memories aren't exact accounts of events, perception is everything. See how the same events are remembered and interpreted from both perspectives.





	1. Chapter 1: Christen's POV

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, this is my first fanfic, but I've been thinking about writing one for some time. Recent Preath events gave me hope and spurred me to finally nut up and post what I've been writing. Chapters will alternate between Tobin and Christen's POV. They'll both recount the same event, but from their own perspective. The thing I love about memories is that they're never perfect accounts of events, but are skewed by how you interpret them. As a result, dialogue may be remembered slightly differently by both girls, as certain interactions are seen as more noteworthy by one girl compared to the other. See if you can catch the discrepancies. Enjoy!

Christen squeals as she hangs up the phone, bursting with excitement as she jumps up and down, smiling so wide her cheeks can’t stretch any farther. After moving to Sweden, she thought her chance to play for the national team was lost, but she had finally made it. She finally got the call up. She was emailed a plane ticket to her first camp in Florida and Pia told her to pack her bags and get down there as soon as possible. Christen doesn’t waste any time and pulls her biggest suitcases from her closet and plops both of them on her bed. She designates one bag for gear and one for her street clothes. She tosses in socks, shorts, shirts, and her lucky cleats. She holds up the worn yellow cleats, reminiscing about every mile she’s logged and goal she scored in them. She smiles and kisses them, hoping they will bring her the same luck at camp.

Christen was ready to go in under 2 hours, but had packed somewhat preemptively. She had neglected to read the departure day for her ticket and wouldn’t leave for another day. So she spends her last day nervously checking and re-checking her luggage, looking up youtube videos of previous matches, and memorizing faces and names of her new team mates. She recognizes many of them as she scrolls through player profiles, but one in particular catches her eye. _Who is that? She looks familiar, but I can’t quite place her._ Christen thought to herself. She skims through her profile: Tobin Heath, midfielder, number seventeen, college career North Carolina 2006-2009. _That’s where I recognize her. I definitely remember playing her a few times in college._ She looks back up at the picture of the midfielder. Tobin’s lips spread across pearly white teeth in a warm smile. Her eyes crinkled slightly in the corners as wisps of hair graced her temples, refusing to be wrangled into her ponytail. Christen is surprised she hadn’t realized how beautiful the girl was in college, but chalked it up to being blinded by competition. She admires the picture glowing on her computer screen a few moments longer before she continues to scroll through the other players’ profiles trying to commit their names and faces to memory.

Later that night as she lie awake in bed, Christen’s mind wanders back to the picture of the brown-eyed girl. She’s intrigued. Something about the girl makes Christen want to get to know her better. Christen’s lips contract into a slight smile as she drifts to sleep.

 

After a long day of traveling, Christen finally pulls her bags into the lobby of the hotel that would be her home for the next two weeks. At the front desk, a woman greets her warmly and welcomes her, congratulating her for making it to her first camp. “Here is your key. It looks like your roommate has already checked in. You’ll be in 302.”

Christen’s stomach fills with butterflies, partially nervous and partially excited to meet her first teammate and roomie. “Who’s my roommate if you don’t mind me asking?”

The woman at the desk smiles and laughs slightly, “She gave me special orders not to divulge that information to you. I think she wants to surprise you.”

Christen laughs and thanks the woman. She takes her key and wheels her bags to the elevator. She can feel her stomach tightening with excitement and cant’t help but smile as she makes her way to room 302. She takes deep breaths to calm her nerves as she sticks the key in the door. She swings the door open and heaves her bags into the room. She looked around and sees clothes strewn across the bed closest to the door, and a suitcase open in the corner already rifled through.

She almost whispers “Hello?”

“AHHHHHH” Christen screams as she drops her bags and instinctively curls her arms into her body to protect herself from the jumping screaming figure in front of her. The figure falls to the floor clutching her sides as laughter fills the room. Christen can finally focus on the girl in front of her and releases a deep breath she didn’t know was stuck in her lungs.

“Oh my god that was the best reaction! Not quite as good as Tobin’s but holy shit that was perfect!” The girl can barely get out the words as she struggles to breath between fits of laughter. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Newbie initiation. Are you ok? Oh my god Press! I can’t believe you’re here! Are you so excited? I’m stoked!” Kelley wraps Christen in a tight hug and lifts her slightly off the ground. Christen smiles and laughs along with the girl, feeling the adrenaline subsiding.

“What the hell Kelley, you want to give me a heart attack my first day?!”

Kelley drops her from the ground and the two smile at each other, their laughter subsiding. “Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself. When Pia told me we were rooming together, I knew I had to haze you a little bit. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.” Kelley smiles at her and gave her a few punches on the shoulders as if Christen was a punching bag.

“Well thanks for that.” Christen grabs one of her bags and wheels it farther into the room toward the open bed. “Made yourself at home already I see. How long have you been here” Christen teases.

Kelley shrugs, “I don’t know, an hour maybe.”

“An hour?! And you already did this?” Christen asks incredulously as she gestures to the messy room in front of her.

“What? I couldn’t find my favorite shorts, so I had to do some digging.”

Christen releases an exaggerated sigh and rolls her eyes, “We’re going to have to find you an organizational system for this.” Christen muses.

“Alright alright. First day and you’re already making demands. So hey, do you want to go meet some of the others? I know a group of them were planning a Catan tournament in Alex and Tobin’s room.”

The butterflies return to Christen’s stomach. She couldn’t decipher if her stomach felt like she was on a rollercoaster because she was going to walk into a room full of new people, or if the mention of Tobin had set off her nerves. She would be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that she had thought of the midfielder several times since seeing her picture a few days prior. She watched a few highlight videos of her skills on the field and a couple of interviews she had done. Christen was impressed, not only by her soccer abilities, but also her charming personality. She seemed laid back and genuine, not to mention she wasn’t hard to look at.

“So what do you think?” Kelley’s questioning expression breaks Christen’s internal dialogue and brings her out of her head.

“Uh, yeah sure.” Christen sputters out.

Kelley smiled and pumped her fist, “Alright sweet! Celebrate our last night of freedom before we go back to the slave drivers. The night out is tradition, but don't worry, we won't make you take too many shots. There are a few bars around so we'll probably walk over....”Kelley continues her excited diatribe while Christen drifts back into her head again.

_Shit, what did I agree to._ It was too late now to take it back, so she just hopes Kelley would forget her proposition by tonight. The two made their way to the end of the hall and Kelley raps on the last door. Christen can hear voices and laughter through the door and takes another deep breath before diving in. The door swings open and she’s met by a shorter girl. Although she’s small, her presence makes up for it, along with her booming voice. “Press you made it!” Kling wraps her up in a hug and gives her several pats on the back. Christen knew Meghan from her time in Sweden and was happy to see another familiar face.

“Where’s my welcome?” Kelley teases.

“Eh, you’re old news. I’m more interested in the fresh meat. Come on in guys. We were just catching up and stuff.” Kling smiles and steps aside to allow Christen and Kelley inside. Christen surveys the room, making note of all the girls. _Ok there’s Ali, Ashlyn, Pinoe, Alex, and Tobin_. Her eyes locked on the final girl. _She looks even prettier in person._ Tobin looks up and smiles as the two locked eyes. Christen could feel her cheeks flush so she shifts her gaze around the room trying not to look guilty.

Just then Kling announces in her not so small voice, “Hey everyone, this is Christen. She’s a hell of a forward so Alex, watch yourself. It’s her first camp so try not to be too awful to her.” The group of girls whoop and clap, welcoming Christen.

The girls go around waving as they introduced themselves. Christen starts feeling awkward with all eyes on her. She shifts in her spot uncomfortably, “Uh, thanks everyone. I’m really excited to be here and play with you guys.”

“Alright now that introductions are over, can we get our Catan on?” Kelley claps loudly and pushes past Christen to take a seat on the floor near Alex.

_I guess this is happening_

After multiple excessively competitive rounds of Catan, the girls disperse to their rooms in order to get ready for their night out. Christen hops in the shower to wash away the smell of stale airplane air and musty hotel room. She thinks of how nice it is to finally have a moment to herself to take in the events from the day, away from the prying eyes of her new team mates. Though she knows they’ll soon become close friends, Christen can’t help but feel as if she was being sized up by the girls. She emerges from the shower wrapped in a towel with beads of water still dripping from her skin and hair. Kelley is already dressed and sits on the floor in front of a full-length mirror applying makeup in the yellow light of the hotel room.

Kelley pops up from her slouched position and turns to face Christen, “Hey, what do you think. Does this outfit give off a, ‘I’m sexy but not trying too hard’ look?” Kelley spins in her simple black tank top and jeans then poses with her hand on her hip, giving Christen a wink.

Christen chuckles, “Definitely. And the makeup on only one eye really ties the ‘not trying too hard’ aesthetic together”

Kelley turns back to the mirror to examine her makeup. “Yeah I should probably finish that up.”  She plops back down on the floor to continue applying eye liner to her naked eye. “What are you going to wear?”

Christen walks over to her side of the bed and sits on the edge and said sheepishly. “Actually, I don’t know if I’m feeling up for going out tonight. It’s my first camp and I just want to be on top of my game tomorrow and…”

Kelley whirls around. “Uh no, not an option. It’s tradition for the team to go out before the first day of camp, _especially_ if you’re a rookie. Don’t worry, we mostly just review film and go over strategy the first day anyway. Syd threw up her first day of camp last time, so standards aren’t that high. Now get yourself into something sexy. We’re going dancing!”

Kelley and Christen leave the room around 9:30 to meet the others in the lobby. Christen settles for a flowy blue sleeveless top, white jeans, and boots, and lets her hair naturally wave in the humid Florida air. Christen and Kelley are some of the last ones down and are met with 20 or so other girls, all strikingly beautiful. _People shouldn’t be allowed to be this good looking and talented._ Abby corrals the girls and calls for their attention. She begins speaking, just as she would in a huddle on the field.

“Alright ladies, as your captain it’s my responsibility to remind you about the rules of professionalism we are bound to during camp. I am also here to remind you that, according to our contracts, camp hasn’t officially started yet, so enjoy your last night of debauchery.” With that, the girls all holler and yell, getting pumped for the night ahead. Christen sticks close to Kelley as they head down the sidewalk. The hotel is situated within walking distance of several bars, so the girls move as a herd to the first stop. Christen’s heart is pounding, unsure what to expect. She walks next to Kelley and sees Alex and Tobin waiting ahead to walk with the roommates.

Alex swings an arm around Christen, “So are you nervous?”

Christen cringes “Is it that obvious?”

“I just know how I felt my first camp. I was so nervous. I couldn’t sleep the whole night before. But don’t worry, it’s nothing a few drinks won’t cure to help loosen you up.” Alex gives her a reassuring squeeze and drops her arm from Christen’s shoulders. “And besides, Tobin’s a great dancer, so I’m sure she’ll wear you out enough to fall asleep.” Alex smiles and looks toward Tobin who rolls her eyes and gives Alex a slap on the arm at the comment. Tobin leans in to interject, “Just to clarify, I don’t dance, but I will sway awkwardly next to you if you’re into that.” The girls laugh at this. Christen’s eyes meet Tobin’s who still hasn’t dropped her gaze. Tobin gives her a smirk and turns her eyes forward toward the bar. Christen smiles to herself. _She’s funny too._

The group piles into the building one by one. Most people head to the bar to get a drink. Christen is overwhelmed by the loud thumping music and flashing lights inside. She feels someone wrap their hand around her bicep and pull her out of the group. She turns with a frown, thinking it was a random stranger trying to get her attention, but finds Tobin looking back at her. Tobin continues to pull her in until their bodies are close enough to touch. Tobin leans into Christen and their faces lightly graze each other as Tobin brings her lips to Christen’s ear. Christen’s stomach flips.

“Do you want a drink?” Tobin pulls her face away from Christen’s to gauge her reaction. Christen immediately misses the proximity but nods to Tobin’s offer. Tobin leads the two to the bar and slides her way to the front. Tobin looks back to grab Christen’s hand and pulls her through the small crowd of people. Tobin guides Christen’s body and slots her between the bar top and her own body. Tobin extends her arm to Christen’s right and rests her hand on the edge of the bar. Christen can feel Tobin’s front slightly pressing against her back, acutely aware of their contact.

Tobin leans into her ear from behind “What do you want to drink?”

Christen turns her head toward the girl, their faces inches apart. “Whiskey soda sounds good.”

Tobin nods her head and makes eye contact with the bartender. “Two whiskey sodas.” As she places her order, Tobin leans against Christen’s back and puts her hand on Christen’s hip to steady herself. Christen blushes at the contact and bites her lip to hide the smile creeping on her lips. _Be cool, be cool. We’re in a bar, she’s just being friendly._ The bartender returns with their drinks and Tobin reaches over Christen to hand the bartender a twenty. “Keep it!” she yells over the noise of the bar.

The two retreat with drinks in hand to a less crowded area. Christen takes a drink of her cocktail and coughs slightly, “Wow, whiskey and a splash of soda.”

“You don’t like it?” Tobin looks concerned.

“No, no! I just need to take smaller sips next time.” Christen reassures Tobin and takes another, smaller, sip. 

The two are soon joined by others after getting drinks. The group talks and make jokes over the music, and although she's trying to be present and involved in the conversation, Christen's eyes keep wandering to Tobin. She notices the way her muscles contract in her arms as she gesticulates wildly while recounting stories from previous matches or practices. She notices the subtle streaks of blonde in Tobin's hair, undoubtedly bleached by sun. She notices the way she bites her bottom lip when she wants to interject in a conversation. She smiles to herself at these realizations.  

With a grin still on her face, she looks to her right and locks eyes with Kelley. She's sporting a devilish grin and cocks her eyebrow toward Christen. Christen's smile fades and her eyes widen, knowing she's been caught. She quickly looks away from Kelley in an attempt to hide her embarrassed expression. _Shit I need to calm down._

The night went on and although Christen wanted nothing more than to spend the evening with Tobin, she forced herself to talk to other people in order to avoid suspicious looks from Kelley. The whiskey made it easier to talk to the girls and she felt less intimidated. The group decided to leave the bar around 1 and they walk (some stumble) back to the hotel. Kelley sidles up to her roommate on the short walk back "so how was your night? Getting to know your teammates? Any in particular you're wanting to know better?" Kelly wiggles her eyebrows at Christen with that shit-eating grin of hers. Christen ignores the obvious taunt and replies as calmly as she can, "Yeah everyone here is really nice. I think I'm going to like training with everyone." Kelley gives her a side-eye and comments under her breath, "Pretty sure training isn't the only thing you're going to enjoy here." 

The girls make it back to the lobby of the hotel and disperse to their respective rooms. Christen and Kelley make it back to room 302 and collapse into bed. Kelley mumbles something with her face buried in the mattress, something along the lines of, "Try to get some sleep Press". But Christen's nerve endings are still electrified from the night. She replays the moments in her head and her mind wanders to Tobin. She can still feel the way her hips rested on her ass as she leaned closer to the bar, the way her lips slightly brushed against her ear when she spoke, the way she steadied herself with a hand on Christen's waist. The warmth from those touches still linger on Christen's skin. She can't help but feel the beginnings of want and ache for Tobin's touch. She tries to shake these thoughts from her mind but they have already rooted somewhere deep inside. The visceral reaction she feels from Tobin's presence can't be overridden by logic or any form of self-convincing. Christen resigns herself to ride out these feelings and hopes she moves on before they blossom into something every harder to control.

 

****

After a long day of practice, the girls head back to the hotel to do some recovery. Christen, still new to the routine, looks to the others for guidance as to what is expected. She sees Tobin step into the elevator and jogs that way to catch it before the doors close. She sneaks in right as the doors begin to close. "Hey fancy seeing you here. Going up?" Tobin asks with a smile

Christen replies, still catching her breath "Actually, I was wondering where you were going. Dawn said we need to do some recovery this afternoon, but I'm still a little unclear what that's supposed to look like. Do you mind showing me the ropes?"

"Of course. Come up to my room, I'll show you the ropes." Tobin gives her a wink

Christen smiles and feels warmth creeping into her cheeks. Luckily the elevator dings and distracts Tobin from eyeing the girl any longer. Christen follows Tobin to her room and the two find themselves alone for the first time.

"Where's Alex?" Christen asks as she looks around the room.

Tobin pushes some clothes off the bed into her suitcases and takes a seat. "Her routine is usually pool and cold tub. She'll probably be gone for the next hour or two, so it's just you and me for a while." She pats the edge of the bed indicating for Christen to sit next to her. "Come here, I don't bite".

Christen smiles and cautiously makes her way over to the bed and takes a seat. "So what's your recovery technique?" Christen asks.

"I usually go for massage then sauna."

"That sounds way more my speed rather than an ice bath." Christen admits, laughing a little.

"Usually we have staff that'll do massage for us, but I thought..maybe I could have the honor of giving you your first post-practice rub down?" Tobin asks confidently, but not forcefully.

Christen does her best to suppress the smile forming on her lips. "Yeah, let's see whatcha got Heath." Christen taunts

"Ok lie down on your stomach" Tobin situates herself on her knees indicating where she wants Christen to lay. Christen complies and lies face down.

"I'm going to start with your legs and work my way up. Is that ok?" Christen nods in approval praying Tobin won't be able to tell how much she's going to enjoy this.

"Let me know if it's too much ok?" Tobin begins with her calves, taking the muscle in her hands and rubbing them one at a time. She squeezes softly at first and then adds pressure as she goes. Her hands are strong and warm on Christen's skin. She moves up to Christen's hamstrings and runs her hands along the toned muscles, kneading the tired body parts. Christen feels equally relaxed and turned on by the feeling of Tobin's hands on her. Satisfied with her work on Christen's legs, Tobin's hands reach higher up her shorts to the apex where her legs and ass meet. Tobin rubs along the crease of her cheeks, just below her underwear. Christen's body reacts significantly to Tobin's touch. She can feel a tingling sensation in her core as a small pool starts to collect in her underwear. Christen's breathing becomes a little harder.

"Is this too much?" Tobin asks calmly

"No, it feels really good. Keep going." Christen encourages the girl.

Tobin takes this as a signal to up the ante. Her hands slide to the sides of Christen's ass near her hip flexors and make kneading circles. Her fingers find their way to Christen's protruding hip bones and trace along the edges gently as if asking permission to continue. Christen, still resting on her stomach, raises her hips to allow access to the front of her. Tobin repositions so that she straddles one of Christen's legs in order to fully reach her hand under the girl.

"Is this too much?" Tobin repeats in a deeper raspy voice.

Christen sharply inhales when Tobin's fingers graze over the top of Christen's clit through her underwear. She shakes her head no into the pillow biting her lip to stifle a moan. She moves her hips into Tobin's hand involuntarily as Tobin continues drawing lazy circles. Tobin's fingers circle the area through the thin fabric before pushing down the elastic waist band to gain skin to skin contact. Christen's breathing is labored as she grinds herself onto Tobin's hand, searching for much needed friction. Christen's arousal grows and she can't control the moans escaping her lips now with each passing of fingers over her clit. Tobin's fingers are drenched as Christen continues to grind harder into them. She can feel the tension between her legs building as Tobin's fingers circle faster and harder. As she's nearing the edge, she hears Tobin behind her. It's not a moan, more of a...beep

Christen forces her eyes open as Kelley's phone alarm rings obnoxiously on the table beside her. Her head is still hazy from the dream she couldn't finish, but her body was definitely awake. Her hand rests on the outside of her underwear and even through the fabric, she could feel the heat emanating from underneath it. She groans in frustration. _Not a good way to start a morning.._

"I know right, it's too early." Christen jumps a little remembering suddenly where she was. She quickly retracts her hand as if she had been caught with it in the cookie jar and sits up to smooth her hair into a ponytail. She looks over at Kelley who hasn't changed positions from the night before. She still lie there face down on the bed with some pretty impressive bed head. Kelley flips over onto her back and looks toward Christen who's already pulling her practice gear on. "Don't tell me you're a morning person." Kelley groans.

Christen sits on the edge of the bed pulling up her socks. "Depends. I must just be excited for my first day. Come on slowpoke, let's go get some coffee." She says, trying to shake the dream from her mind.


	2. Chapter 1: Tobin's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the events of the first chapter from Tobin's POV to give you a taste of how this story will flow

Tobin sits on the edge of Shirley's bed, head down, pulling at her fingernails, only half listening to the yelling girl. 

"Things were just getting back to normal and now you have to leave! Again! I'm sick of sharing you! I don't understand why can't you just stay in Paris and play for the league? We're so good when we're together baby..." Shirley's voice trails off as she sits behind Tobin wrapping her arms around the sitting girl, cooing in her ear. "I know how to make you stay." She bites gently on Tobin's ear, kissing the surrounding skin slowly. 

Tobin sighs audibly, not because it feels good, but out of frustration. 

"Shirley...Shirley stop" Tobin says assertively, wiggling out of the grip of the girl to stand up. "I have to go back, you know how important this is to me. I'm getting more minutes and starting now. I need to be there." Tobin tries to rationalize with the girl. 

Shirley's brows furrow. "I don't spend near as much time away. You stay so long when you go back for camps! It's like, you can't wait to see all your friends and go out and get attention from all those fan girls. You completely forget about me." Shirley baits Tobin, hoping to get some kind of a reaction from the brunette. 

Tobin responds calmly, "Shirley, I told you, I have to see my family and friends, they're important to me. And as for the 'fan girls', when have I ever given you reason to believe I'd ever be unfaithful? It's actually kind of insulting that you'd throw that out there."

Shirley scoffs and rolls her eyes, "Oh yeah, I'm sure you hate those girls hanging all over you in bars and giving you their numbers. I've seen the pictures people post of you. You don't look like you're trying to get them off of you." Shirley's voice raises, getting more heated about the topic. "And don't get me started about your teammates. Fucking flirting with you and hugging all over you all the time. Bunch of whores." 

This strikes a chord with Tobin. Her calm collected demeanor changes instantly to anger, "Don't you dare talk about my teammates like that. You have no right to say shit like that. They've been nothing but kind to you, even though they know full well the amount of shit you put me through." She tried to hold them back, but tears well up in Tobin's eyes. She wipes them with the sleeve of her shirt as they fall down her cheek. "I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt when I came here. I hoped that you wouldn't drag this shit out, but you just couldn't help yourself could you. This happens every time. Why can't you just let me leave and be happy for me?" Tobin sighs and shakes her head, calming her voice. "I'm not sure I can give you what you want Shirley. I just--I need some time to think." 

Shirley sits speechless on the bed. Tobin grabs her coat from a nearby chair and leans in haphazardly to place a brief kiss on Shirley's cheek. "I'll let you know when I get there. Bye Shirley." 

With that, Tobin grabs her suitcase and turns to walk out the door, making a point not to turn back and look at her girlfriend as she closes the door behind her. She stops right outside the door, running her hand over her face, taking deep breaths to collect her thoughts. She can feel her stomach sink and shoulders droop, knowing in the back of her mind that this might be the last time she returns to her girlfriend's small apartment in Paris. She rolls her suitcase to the corner of the street and hails a taxi to head to the airport. She'll have plenty of time to think about this on the plane to Florida. 

Tobin spends most of the flight reading surf magazines and playing solitaire between intermittent naps. She tries desperately to distract herself from the thought of the earlier argument, but her mind wanders, thinking of not only this fight, but the pattern of previous fights too. Tobin wrestles with memories of thrown lamps, curses, threats, streams of tears, white hot resentment balling in her chest. Her fists clench and her jaw tightens involuntarily. She takes a deep breath to calm her pounding heart and relaxes her muscles. She orders a whiskey and chugs it down in two big gulps, hoping it will slow her racing thoughts. She puts in earbuds and rests her head against the window. Tobin shifts her focus, thinking of soccer, the one constant in her life. No matter what pain the other parts of her life bring, soccer will always bring her joy. Her mind finally relaxes at this sentiment and she drifts to sleep, hoping her slumber will last until they land. 

Tobin makes it to Florida, travel worn, but excited to be back in the States doing what she loves. Her cab ride to the hotel is short and uneventful. She rolls the window down to take in the swampy humid breeze, but at least it's better than the recycled air of the plane. She arrives at the hotel and checks in. She takes the elevator to the third floor and rolls her suitcase down to the very end of the hall. Slotting the key into the door, it clicks open and Tobin thrusts it open, excited to see who she had been paired up with this camp. 

"Tobin!" Alex yells from inside the room. She pops up from the bed and rushes over to the girl, wrapping her arms around her tightly, knocking Tobin back a step. 

Tobin brings her arms up and squeezes Alex back tightly, relieved to see her best friend again. "Hey Alex" she says, smiling into the shoulder of Alex's sweatshirt. 

Alex's steps back, retracting from the hug to get a better look at Tobin. "How was you flight? Are you exhausted? It's like what, mid afternoon in Paris?" Alex asks looking at her wrist absentmindedly. 

"Yeah, I slept a little on the flight, but still kinda tired. I'm glad to be here though. And we get to be roomies so that's awesome!" She says with a crooked smile. 

"Good. So how's Shirley doing? Was she sad you left?" Alex asks innocently, not yet understanding the weight of this question. 

Tobin brings her hand up to rub the back of her neck, her eyes shifting around the room. "Uh, yeah. She's fine. She was--upset I guess when I left." 

Alex picks up on the slightly pained expression on Tobin's face. "Oh, sorry. Uh, did you guys fight again or something?" 

Tobin sighs and wheels her suitcase over to the open bed. Trying to distract herself, she tosses her luggage on the bed and begins rifling through the bag, not really looking for anything. "Yeah. I think she's just upset cus I spend so much time over here. She feels neglected or whatever. She just wants to spend time with me, which I get." 

Alex crosses her arms in from of her. "Did she throw anything at you this time?" She asks curtly. 

Tobin looks down at her hands and shakes her head. "No. We just--left on a bad note I guess. Speaking of, I should probably call her. I told her I would when I got here." 

Alex frowns and watches Tobin grab her phone off the bed to step outside. She speaks up as Tobin grabs the door handle to leave. "You know you don't deserve that right? I know you care about her, but she doesn't get to treat you like shit for doing what you love." 

Tobin pauses at the door. She swallows hard before turning the handle to leave without acknowledging Alex. 

Tobin calls Shirley, but she doesn't pick up. She tries a second time but has to settle for leaving a message. "Hey babe. I just got to the hotel. Alex is my roommate so that's good." Tobin pauses, not sure where to go from here. "Uh, I know we kinda left on bad terms--but, could you call me--when you get a chance. I really think we should talk. Ok, well that's it I guess. I'll talk to you later. Bye." 

Tobin hangs up the phone and stands with it in the middle of the hallway. She stands idle there a few moments longer before Alex sticks her head out of the door. "Hey, um,  Kling just texted me and wants to know if we want to play Catan with her and Ash and Ali in our room. You wanna?" 

"Yeah that sounds good." Tobin says, trying to sound upbeat. Tobin turns to follows her into the room, but notices a slender dark haired girl wheeling two large suitcases on the opposite end of the hall. The girl stops at a door and opens it to her room struggling to wheel in the giant suitcases behind her. Tobin laughs a bit at this display and watches her disappear inside of the room. Tobin heads inside her own room, feeling a little less sad. 

Kling knocks on the door minutes later, board game in hand with Ash and Ali close behind her. "Hey ladies, ready to get your asses whooped." Kling boasts loudly as she strides into the room. 

"Ignore her, she's just overcompensating." Ash says, letting herself into the room. 

"We brought some snacks!" Ali lifts up two bags of chips, grinning widely. 

Alright everybody in, everybody in. We still need room for two more." Alex says corralling the girls into the room. 

"Who else is coming?" Kling asks, setting up the game. 

"Kelley and the new girl Christen." Alex responds 

"Christen?! As in Christen Press?! Ah this is great! She finally got the call up! We played in Sweden together. She is seriously the nicest person and has a killer left foot. Not to mention, she's gorgeous. Like, it's not fair. You shouldn't be able to be that talented and that good looking." Kling exclaims excitedly. 

"Hey what are you trying to say about us?!" Ashlyn feigns anger. 

"Eh, you guys are alright. I mean, just wait, you'll see." Kling teases. 

Tobin sits on the bed watching the interactions between her friends and wonders if the girl she'd noticed in the hallway minutes earlier was the same girl. Even from that distance, she could tell Kling was right about her looks. 

A few minutes later there's a knock on the door and Kling launches from her spot on the ground to open the door. She yells exuberantly, wrapping her arms around an unfamiliar girl. Tobin guesses this must be Christen. Kelley barrels in and takes a seat on the floor next to Alex and grabs her pieces to get in on the game. Christen takes a few steps in and waves shyly to all the girls as they introduce themselves from across the room. Tobin locks eyes with Christen and waves slightly. Her eyes are an interesting mixture of green and gray, and Tobin gazes Intently at them, intrigued by how beautiful they are. She spends a few too many moments staring at the girl and Tobin sees Christen's cheeks flush just slightly as she nervously breaks eye contact to look around the room. Christen introduces herself awkwardly and takes a seat next to Kelley. Tobin smiles watching the girl, which doesn't go unnoticed by Ali. 

Ali leans over to whisper in Tobin's ear. "Easy tiger. You might want to cool the heart eyes. Last time I checked, you still had a girlfriend." 

Tobin's stomach drops. She was right. Sure Christen was cute, ok beautiful, but she wasn't in a position to let herself fall for this girl. Tobin convinces herself that she's just appreciating how aesthetically pleasing Christen is from a third party, objective, nonpartisan perspective. It's totally normal to check people out and have little crushes on them after knowing them less than 5 minutes, right? 

Most of the girls play Cantan while Tobin and Ali watch from their perches on the bed. She spends about half her time watching the game, and the other watching the green eyed girl laughing and joking with the others on the floor. After multiple rounds, Kelley gets up from her seat on the floor and stretches dramatically. "Well as much as I love losing 5 rounds in a row to such a gratuitous winner--ahem, Kling-- the rookie and I have to get all dolled up for tonight. We'll meet you guys in the lobby in like an hour ok?" Kelley grabs Christen's hand and pulls her up. They say their goodbyes before walking out of the room. Tobin's eyes track Christen's movements and can't help but watch her ass sway from side to side as she walks out the door. Tobin's gaze is interrupted by a cough in her direction. She looks up to find Alex with raised eyebrows giving her a knowing look. "I saw that" she mouths to Tobin. Tobin grimaces a little at getting caught by the watchful eyes of her friend. Tobin gets up from the bed and helps clean up the mess and shoo the rest of the girls out of the room so she and Alex can get ready too. 

With everyone out of the room, Alex confronts Tobin. "I saw you check out her ass. Don't lie." Alex smiles, knowing she was right. 

Tobin shrugs and puts her hands up defensively. "What? I can't appreciate a good looking ass when I see it?" 

"Just be careful ok?" Alex says, knowing that this vague sentiment holds many meanings for Tobin. 

They take turns showering and help each other pick out outfits for the night. Alex wears a denim button down and shirt white shorts while Tobin opts for a white tank and tight black skinny jeans. They meet the other girls down in the lobby, but the one girl Tobin looks for doesn't seem to be there yet. She feels a little disappointed, wondering if Christen had decided not to come out after all. After scanning the crowd again, Tobin sees Christen out of the corner of her eye. She takes a quick glance, but tries to be more inconspicuous than she was in her hotel room hours before. She looks stunning and Tobin admires how her black hair naturally waves in the humid air. Abby huddles them together for a pep talk to start the night like she always does, and the girls break apart clapping and bouncing around, excited for the night. 

Tobin and Alex find themselves at the middle of the pack as they walk to the bar. "Hey hold up, I want to find Kelley and Christen." Alex says, much to Tobin's delight. They wait up and watch as Kelley and Christen bring up the back of the pack. They walk four across, all striding together as Alex swings her arm around the rookie, asking her questions. Tobin can't quite hear their exchange over the roar of the other girls, but hears her name as Alex turns her head toward her. "Tobin will dance with you." Alex says, teasing. 

"No, I don't dance, but I'll awkwardly sway next to you if you're into that." She directs toward Christen. Christen smiles at the joke and they laugh together, comparing dance moves on their way to the bar. 

After a short walk, the herd of girls arrive at the bar and enter the building one by one. Tobin's one of the last girls to get in and she quickly surveys the scene upon stepping into the chaotic building. She sees Alex and Kelley head straight for the bar, but looses track of Christen. Suddenly, she notices Christen by herself, looking somewhat uncomfortable with her head swiveling around trying to take in everything at once. Tobin walks up behind her and grabs her by the bicep. Christen's arm flexes beneath Tobin's fingers as she spins around quickly. At first, Christen's eyebrows are furrowed in an almost disgusted look, but her expression quickly softens upon meeting eyes with Tobin. Tobin smiles, taken aback by how beautiful Christen is this close up. Collecting every ounce of confidence she has, Tobin leans in, brushing her lips over Christen's ear slightly as she asks, "Hey, you want a drink?" 

Tobin pulls away, noticing the goosebumps that form on Christen’s skin and the nervous smile that forms on her lips as she responds, "Whiskey soda sounds good." 

Tobin smiles at Christen's drink choice, thinking she would have ordered the same thing. Tobin nods and walks toward the bar. She grabs Christen's hand, not wanting to leave her alone again, and weaves them through the crowd. Tobin pulls the girl up to the bar in front of her and leans against her back slightly, enjoying the feeling of Christen's ass on her, rather than just looking at it. Tobin gets the attention of the bartender and stands on her tiptoes to order their drinks. She grabs onto Christen's hip to balance herself as she's knocked in the shoulder by a drunk passerby. Tobin knows she shouldn't be so touchy and close with Christen, but her fingers are drawn to the girl like magnets. She can't help the subtle touches that happen involuntarily. She pays the bartender, not bothering to get change because Christen's ass pressing into her hips is fogging her mind with thoughts she knows she shouldn't be having. She needs to retreat as soon as possible. 

Tobin leads them out of the crowd and they sip on their drinks to ease the social tension. Tobin laughs at Christen who coughs upon taking a large gulp of whiskey. She finds Christen's slightly awkward social skills and clumsiness endearing. They're soon joined by their teammates to help conversation flow. Tobin relaxes a bit with familiar faces around her and a little alcohol in her system. She exchanges stories with other girls and looks over to catch Christen watching her intently, seeing her smile every time they make eye contact. 

The group leaves around one and Tobin swerves around the herd of athletes to walk next to Christen on their way back. They walk in relative silence for a couple of blocks, casually bumping shoulders and exchanging glances in the silence until Kelley steals Christen away and Tobin is left to watch their interactions from a distance. They cram into the elevator with their teammates and part ways to go to their respective rooms on the third floor. Tobin steals one last glance at the girl over her shoulder as she walks down the hallway with Alex toward her room. Tobin smiles to herself as she and Alex enter their room. 

"Ok, what is going on with you and Press." Alex wastes no time interrogating her roommate as soon at the door closes. 

Snapped out of a haze, Tobin responds defensively, "What? What are you talking about? I was with you guys the whole night." 

"Nooo, I saw you at the bar all casually pressed up against her." Alex says grinning 

"It was crowded! There wasn't anywhere else to stand. Come on." Tobin says shaking her head. 

"Well what about all those times I caught you staring at her. You were practically undressing her with your eyes." Alex says with a biting tone. 

"I don't know, she must have said something funny or something. Will you just drop it? It's late. I'm tired. I want to go to bed." Tobin says dismissively, trying to convince both Alex and herself that she wasn't falling for the dark haired beauty. 

"I'm just saying, I haven't seen you look that happy in a while. I like smiling happy Tobin--I'll drop it ok." Alex shrugs and puts her hands up in surrender. 

Tobin pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and grabs her bag of toiletries, rushing into the bathroom. In the safety of the bathroom, Tobin leans up against the door and rakes her hands through her hair. She lunges forward to turn on the shower and lets the water heat up. She peels off her clothes, permeated by the smell of smoke and alcohol, before stepping into the steaming shower. The warm water rushes over her face and camouflages the tears starting to run down her face. She crumbles. Collapsing in the shower, she sits down in the tub with her legs drawn into her chest. Water pelts the top of her head and back and she sucks in air, stifling her sobs to prevent her whimpers from reverberating off the tiled walls.  She thinks of Shirley and all the suffering she's experienced the past 2 years and how her short time with Christen juxtaposes this experience so greatly. Alex is right, she hasn't been this happy in months, maybe years. She can't deny that Christen makes her feel alive, euphoric almost. Tobin knows in this moment that she can't be with Shirley any longer. She knew it was over when she left Paris, but the realization is suddenly hitting her within the confines of the white tiled shower walls. She cries tears which grieve the end of her relationship, but also tears of relief that the pain and resentment of this relationship will no longer be attached to her. After several minutes, Tobin sniffles, taking a deep breath and collects herself. She washes herself quickly and steps out of the shower, sweeping her hand across the mirror to make sure her eyes are no longer puffy and red from her tears. She steps out of the bathroom and sees that Alex is already curled up asleep in her bed. Tobin changes quickly into pajamas and crawls into her own bed, turning off the lamp nearby. She settles into the thick comforter and mulls over both the highs and lows from the evening before sleep takes over her.


	3. Chapter 2: Christen's POV

Christen and Kelley walk down to the ballroom where a buffet of breakfast foods is on display with several round tables set up around the area. Many girls are already milling around the room with their plates and sitting at various tables chatting with each other. Christen follows Kelley's lead and grabs a few things and plops them on her plate before going to sit down. Christen suddenly realizes, "I forgot to get coffee. Kelley you want any?" And almost as if a wish had been granted by a genie, coffee suddenly appears in a paper cup in front of her. "Thought you might need a little pick me up after last night." Tobin sits with her own coffee next to Christen and blows across the top of her cup in an attempt to cool the steaming drink. The smell of coffee drifts to Christen's nose and makes Christen realize how much she needed the caffeine boost. "Thanks. First the whiskey, now coffee? What service!" Christen chuckles at her statement, which earns her a smile from Tobin. Christen continues, "Yeah I don't feel hungover at all, just a little tired. I couldn't fall asleep last night."

"Too wound up from the night out?" 

Christen blushes slightly. If only she knew how wound up she was "Yeah, you could say that." She looks down into the dark brown liquid in front of her, watching the steam rise from her cup and evaporate into the air. 

"Yeah I can never sleep the first night either. Too much excitement." Tobin leans back and stretches her arms into the air, groaning dramatically, "hence the need for coffee."

Christen raises her cup toward Tobin "Well cheers then; to the beginning of a new and glorious caffeine addiction". The two clink cups and Christen looks to her glass as she raises it to her lips to take a sip 

"Woah woah woah. Didn't anyone ever tell you it's bad luck not to look someone in the eyes when you cheers and take the first drink?" Unaware of this rule, Christen merely smiles and shakes her head no. She and Tobin lock eyes and take sips of coffee in unison without breaking their gaze. Christen's lips curl into a small smile as she brings her cup down to place it on the table in front of her. All the while, Tobin continues to make steady eye contact with her until her attention is directed to a loud cough. "Well when you two are done staring into each other's souls, come sit with us to watch film." Kelley gets up from the table with a few of the others and Christen watches as the girls trickle into another conference room.

Kelley was right. The first day is lots of sitting and watching and listening. Getting 20 plus highly physical athletes to sit in one place for multiple hours is torture to most of them. By the time they get on the practice field later that day, it's as if they were finally let out of class for recess. They run and kick balls at each other, joking and jostling with one another until Pia reigns them in to put some structure into their bursts of energy. The team does some scrimmaging and light training, mostly to get their legs back and shake off the rust from their few weeks off. 

 

By the time the coaches end practice, Christen had worked up a sweat, but wasn't overly tired. Christen goes with the rest of the girls toward the locker room to shower, change, and collect their gear before busing back to the hotel. She was one of the last girls into the locker room. Although she had been in many field houses and shared a locker room with many players, Christen couldn't help but feel self-conscious and somewhat inadequate compared to these top athletes. As she looks around, she takes note of the strong, toned bodies surrounding her. She tries her best to avert her eyes and walks to her locker, wanting to look as inconspicuous as possible as she starts removing her gear. She strips down to her sports bra and compression shorts and heads to the showers with a towel. Christen walks past the showers and can see the outline of bodies through the opaque shower curtains. She finds an open shower, steps in, and let's the warm water wash away the sweat and dirt from her skin.

 

_Shit. I forgot to grab shampoo_. She cleared her throat and spoke up, "Uh hey, does anyone have some shampoo I could borrow?" To her surprise, a voice responds almost immediately. "I have some. Here." Christen peaks her head out from behind the curtain and is met by a mirror image. Tobin was also sticking her head out from behind the shower next to her with a grin, holding a small bottle out in Christen's direction. Tobin's hair was dripping and her arm was slick with droplets of water. Christen is glad she can attribute her flushed cheeks to the hot shower as she takes the bottle from Tobin's hand. 

 

"Thanks." Christen says as they both retract their arms back into the shower. 

 

"You can keep that if you want. I have a big bottle back at the hotel." Tobin says with a smile.

 

With that, Tobin disappears back into the shower and Christen hears the water turn off shortly after. Christen pops the top of the small bottle and takes in the scent of the shampoo. It's nothing flowery or fruity, but is clean, pleasant, and not overpowering. Christen thinks how well this suits Tobin. She massages the shampoo into her hair and scalp and relaxes, letting the scent engulf her. She rinses her hair and washes her body quickly, not wanting to be the last one out. She turns the water off and wraps a towel around herself to make her way back to her locker. Before she exits the shower, she makes sure to take her teammate's shampoo and clutches it in her hand tightly like a precious relic. 

 

She's not the last one out, but only a few girls remain brushing out their hair and packing duffle bags to take back to the hotel. Christen slides on her street clothes quickly, still not feeling completely comfortable yet around her new teammates. As she pulls her shorts on, she feels the strange sensation of someone watching her. She takes a quick glance behind her shoulder and sees the brown eyes of Tobin glide from her lower half up her body until they rest on her eyes. _Did Tobin just check out my ass_? She gives Tobin a weary half smile and watches her walk toward the exit. "See you on the bus Press." She said over her shoulder. Christen inhales deeply and shakes her head to herself, now the last one left in the locker room. Get it together Christen.

 

The days went on and practice became more and more intense. Christen had never felt so pushed in her life. Her competitive nature was amplified, and by the end of two a day practices, she was mentally and physically exhausted. Despite this, she was thriving within the structured environment and enjoyed getting to know her teammates during their recovery activities, playing card games after dinner, and while pulling pranks on each other much to the staff's chagrin. She was reminded of the sleep away summer camps she went to as a little girl. The friendships she formed with her teammates came quickly, almost as a necessity. She had to take this time to completely understand the other girls off the field in order to better understand them on the field. She knew Kelley was straight-forward and though she was often tongue and cheek about things, she always managed to get her point across, which people took seriously. Alex had a soft intensity about her that made it somewhat unpredictable at times when she would interject with a raunchy joke out of nowhere. Sydney was forceful and strong and often got her way, not one to shy away from confrontation. And then there was Tobin. Christen had been studying her most carefully. She was laid back and casual, yes, but underneath the guise of a relaxed and unflappable attitude burned a passion for life that shown through if you looked closely. For some reason, Tobin often chose to temper this passion and it only revealed itself in fleeting reactions when she made a great assist, or talked about her family, or complimented her friends genuinely. Her eyes lit up and her smile spread so wide that she could barely keep her eyes open. That was the Tobin that Christen wanted to get to know better. She tried her best to strike up casual conversations during meals or align her recovery schedule with Tobin's so Christen could spend as much time as possible with the girl. Christen could feel herself falling deeper and deeper into the hole of infatuation she dug herself. She struggled to claw her way out, not wanting to completely submit to the feelings she'd been having since she first laid eyes on the girl in her apartment on a computer screen. But it was getting harder with every passing glance, every smile shared between them, every coffee delivered to the table at breakfast, every touch of skin to skin contact, every lick of the lips. Christen's self-control was waning, and though she held it together and kept it to herself, she couldn't fool the one girl who had known her the longest.

 

"Hey are you going down to the pool for recovery?" Kelley asks as she paces around the room searching for a clean towel. 

 

"Uh yeah I guess. Who else is going to be there?" Christen says trying to sound casual.

 

"If you're wondering if Tobin will be there, I think she said something about getting a massage instead. Sorry you'll be missing out on seeing your girl half naked." Kelley quips, looking back to gauge the reaction of her roommate.

 

Christen clears her throat, flustered by Kelley's ability to see right through her. "What are you talking about? I just wanted to know who will be there since I'm still getting to know everyone. It doesn't matter to me if Tobin's there or not."

 

"Right. But I don't think you want to 'get to know' the rest of your teammates in the same sense of the word." Kelley smiles at this, knowing she's making Christen squirm. 

 

Christen sighs audibly and rolls her eyes

 

Kelley continues, "Look, we've all been there. Having a crush on a teammate isn't a big deal. Just make sure you keep your pants on and it'll all be okay. Besides, Tobin's girlfriend has been known to get pretty jealous, so watch your step or you might get some serious hate mail." 

 

Christen's face drops and Kelley takes note of this, suddenly aware of the bomb she unintentionally dropped on Christen. "You didn't know--she didn't tell you?" Kelley looks apologetic and comes to sit next to Christen on the bed. She puts her hand on her shoulder and gives her a squeeze. "I'm sorry, I thought you knew Tobin was in a relationship." 

 

Christen looks down at her hands, self-conscious of her vulnerability. She speaks up in the most cheerful voice she can muster. "I mean, no she didn't tell me, why would she? She has every right to keep her private life private. Really, it's not that big of a deal. We're just friends, honestly." She looks over to Kelley who looks unconvinced, but chooses not to push the subject. 

 

"Ok well I'm headed down to the pool. You coming?" Christen nods and follows Kelley out the door. 

 

After a recovery session in the pool, Christen goes back up to the room to shower and wash off the smell of chlorine from her body. She lets the water warm her skin and relax her tired muscles. She grabs the nearest bottle of shampoo and as she squeezes it into her hand, she inhales the familiar scent. She is immediately taken back to her first day of training in the shower where she was given the shampoo by a soaking wet Tobin. She lets her mind wander as she scrubs the shampoo into her hair. She closes her eyes and thinks of how beads of water fell from her hair down her face and arms. She knows she shouldn't, but she indulges herself and wonders what the rest of Tobin would look like dripping wet. She thinks of her tanned skin and how it spreads taught around firm muscles. How her chest rises and falls as she takes deeps breaths in the steam filled shower. How her nipples harden as a rush of cool air finds its way across her. Christen bites her lip as she forms the picture in her mind. Her fingers inadvertently find their way to her own chest as she circles and teases her nipple under the shower head. Christen's breathing picks up as she feels herself becoming more aroused by her fantasy. She thinks of how she would run her hands down Tobin's chest and stomach, connecting droplets of water with her fingertips. How she would snake her arms around Tobin to feel the dimples on her lower back right above her ass. Christen can feel a wetness starting to form between her legs not caused by the shower. She glides her hand lower until her fingertips begin circling her clit slowly, building the tension between her legs. She thinks of what it would be like to press her body up to Tobin's and scratch her fingernails down the expanse of Tobin's back as she licked and sucked on her neck. Christen props her leg up on the ledge to gain better access to her pulsing clit. She circles faster with more purpose as she fully immerses herself in the fantasy. She imagines Tobin moaning in her ear as she plays with her nipples until she can't stand the teasing any longer and shoves Christen's hand down to her center. Christen's breathing is labored, taking gulps of steamy air as she steadies herself against the shower wall with one hand while she uses the other to relieve her growing arousal. She's so close to toppling over the edge, and as she thinks of how Tobin might sound breathing her name as she climaxes, Christen feels her body shake with pleasure and a wave of relief washes over her. She rides out the rush of euphoria and inhales deeply, filling her lungs with the scent of her fantasy girl once more. 

 

Christen is brought back to reality by a knock on the door. "Hey I'm headed to dinner. I'll see you down there ok?"

 

Startled, Christen says loudly through the closed door. "Ok I'll meet you down there." _There's no way she heard any of that right?_  

 

Christen shuts off the water and steps out of the shower feeling more confused than ever about her current situation. Feeling guilty, she knows that she can't let herself go there again. She can't deny the strong attraction she feels to Tobin, but she doesn't want to fall for someone who could never reciprocate those feelings. What am I gonna do?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I mention Christen hasn't had a girlfriend in a while...


	4. Chapter 2: Tobin's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading everyone. I'll try to keep updating as quickly as I can!

Tobin and Alex wake up to the alarm Alex set the night before and groan loudly while rolling around in their respective beds, trying to shake the sleep from their bodies. Tobin trudges out of bed and puts on her practice gear for the day before sweeping her hair into a bun. The two get ready in silence as neither of them are morning people. They grab their gear and head down to breakfast to meet the others.

Tobin and Alex shuffle into the ballroom but Tobin's energy level picks up immediately when her eyes land on the dark haired forward. She watches her sit with Kelley and her plate of breakfast at a table to themselves. Alex must have seen them too. "Hey Tobs, let's go grab a seat with Kelley and Christen."

Tobin nods "Yeah, I'm going to grab coffee first. Meet you over there." Tobin grabs two cups of coffee, noticing Christen didn't have a beverage in front of her. She comes up behind the girl and places it on a table in front of her. "Here, I thought you could use a little pick me up after last night." Tobin says, sliding into the seat next to Christen.

Christen smiles at this like she'd been given a present on her Christmas list. "Thanks! First whiskey now coffee? What service!"

Tobin laughs a little, knowing she's been giving the girl special attention and care, but she just couldn't resist. As they take their first sips, Tobin teaches Christen how to properly cheers glasses the way she learned in Paris. She's captivated by those green eyes again, swimming in them.

Kelley catches her staring and loudly calls her out on it. "Well when you two are done staring into each other's souls, come sit with us to watch film."

Tobin's breath catches in her throat, embarrassed that they'd been called out. Tobin tries to think of something clever to say to ease the tension but merely lets out a clenched throaty laugh before getting up to follow Kelley and Alex to the conference room. Tobin berates herself internally for being so careless with her behavior. She goes to the conference room and purposefully sandwiches herself between her teammates so she isn't tempted by proximity to touch or even look at Christen. She sits in the front row and keeps her eyes forward toward the screen, trying to take in what the coaches are saying instead of wondering what the girl behind her is doing. She gives into her curiosity and takes a quick glance behind her, meeting the gaze of Christen who had obviously been staring at the back of Tobin's head. Christen quickly looks down and scribbles something on a notepad. Tobin turns back around smiling, thinking that maybe she isn't the only one who can't stop staring.

They finally make it to the pitch and Tobin couldn't be more relieved. This is the one place on earth where everything makes sense to her. She doesn't have to overthink anything. Things just flow so naturally with her feet on the grass and a ball in front of her. The pent up frustration and anxiety melts away as she runs through simple drills and scrimmages with her teammates. She keeps an eye on Christen, noting her speed and technical skills on the ball. Kling was right, she's that beautiful and that talented.

After practice, they pile into the locker room to shower and change clothes. Tobin's glad to finally take off her cleats and stuffs them into her locker, enjoying the feeling of the cold tile beneath her.

"Ew put some shower shoes on you sicko. You're not bringing any foot fungus back to our room. I know where you sleep!" Alex threatens jokingly.

"Ah come on, we're the only ones in here. I trust the other girls and their foot hygiene." Tobin pleads with Alex, but Alex's expression remains disapproving. "Yeah, ok ok. I get the message." Tobin relinquishes. She slips on her flip flops and grabs her toiletries to head to the showers. She hops into a shower near the end of the row and quickly strips off the sweat soaked clothes clinging to her body. The warm water feels good soaking her skin and hair. She lathers her hair in shampoo and washes the sweat and dirt off her skin. Tobin's ears perk up when she hears a familiar voice echoing from the shower next to her

"Does anyone have some shampoo I could borrow?" Christen's voice asks hesitantly. Tobin immediately grabs the travel sized shampoo bottle she brought from home and sticks her head out from behind the shower curtain. Not a moment later, she see's Christen's head pop out a foot away. Tobin smiles at her wet dripping hair and flushed cheeks. She wonders briefly what the rest of her body looks like behind that curtain. Before her mind wanders any further, Tobin thrusts the small bottle of shampoo toward Christen, offering it to her. "Here, you can have mine. I have a big bottle of it back at the hotel." Lie. She would have to make a run to the drug store to get more, but she's beginning to realize she can't deny the beauty in front of her anything. If she has it to give, then it's already Christen's. They exchange smiles and Tobin retreats back behind the safety of the curtain before she says or does anything stupid. She gives herself one more quick rinse then turns off the shower and wraps a clean towel around her ribs. She steps out, pausing in front of the still occupied shower next to her and and smiles, shaking her head at how simple of an exchange could work her up so much. In the locker room, she puts on a shirt and shorts, and stuffs her dirty clothes into her gym bag. She sees Christen walk into the open room and averts her gaze, not wanting to invade the girl's privacy. But out of the corner of her eye, Tobin watches Christen slide underwear up her thighs under the towel before dropping the towel to her hips leaving her bare chest exposed briefly before her breasts are covered by a bra. It takes every ounce of will power for Tobin to keep her eyes off the girl, but as Christen pulls up her shorts, Tobin can't help but turn her head to watch her perfect ass squeeze into shorts. Christen turns around and Tobin's eyes climb up her body to meet her gaze. Tobin smiles sheepishly, realizing she'd been seen. Hiding her panic, Tobin swings her bag over her shoulder and walks toward the exit saying, "See you on the bus Press" as she leaves through the double door of the field house. Once outside, Tobin releases the breath she'd been holding and inhales deeply to collect herself. "Get it together Heath" she mutters under her breath.

On the bus, she makes her way down the isle to sit with her bus buddy Alex. She plops down with her bag in her lap and pulls out her headphones to listen to some music.

Before she has a chance to put her headphones on Alex asks, "Hey you want to do the sauna for recovery with me when we get back to the hotel?"

"Yeah sure. Sounds good." Tobin slips on her headphones and lets the music block out the world around her.

*******

In the sauna, Tobin and Alex sit alone, their bodies sweating in the hot steam. "Hey are you doing ok?" Alex asks Tobin, concerned.

"Yeah definitely. Why what's up?" Tobin responds as nonchalant as possible.

"I don't know, you seem kinda spaced out." Alex offers

Tobin shrugs her shoulders.

Alex pauses before continuing. "It's just, I know you've probably had a lot on your mind with Shirley and all. I just want to make sure you're ok." Alex's brows furrow sympathetically.

"Yeah, no. Everything's fine." Tobin says, hiding her guilt in the thick steam of the sauna.

Alex sighs. "Have you talked to her recently?"

Tobin wipes her brow as sweat beads on her hairline. "I mean, no. We haven't talked." Tobin divulges. She takes a breath and opens up to Alex. "It's kind of a relief we haven't talked actually. Phone conversations don't usually end well when I'm at camp."

Alex nods her head. "Yeah I figured as much. Are you guys--ok?" Alex asks tentatively

Tobin plays with the fibers of her towel, suddenly very interested in it. "I mean--" she stops, pondering whether to brush off Alex's question and lie about their status, but instead decides that her best friend deserves to know what's going on. "No, we're not doing great to be honest. I haven't talked to her because I'm trying to work up the courage to end it with her." She looks up at Alex to gauge her reaction to this realization, but Alex sits quietly with a poker face, waiting for Tobin to continue. "I think being here and being around all you guys really made me realize that maybe Shirley isn't the best fit for me. I have plenty of people who love me here--it's just--scary you know? We spent two years together and ending makes it feel like..."

"You wasted two years of your life?" Alex interjects, helping Tobin find the words.

Tobin runs her fingers through her damp hair. "Yeah kinda. I mean, two years of time and energy and love invested in something...and then to throw it away...It's just a big thing to say goodbye to."

"Yeah, I get that. I'm sorry Tobs. Do you think you'll end it soon?" Alex asks quietly.

Tobin rubs her eyes with the heels of her hands. "I don't know. Maybe. I need to do it soon. I just-- I know it's going to be a big deal, so I need the timing to be right, and I'm not sure the middle of camp is the right time you know?" Tobin laughs a little at this last sentiment

Alex bobs her head up and down. They sit in silence a few moments. "I'm glad you told me Tobs." Alex says genuinely with a slight smile across her lips.

"Thanks for listening." Tobin replies simply.

They finish their recovery time and step out into the fresh cool air of the pool area. Tobin bends down to grab her belongings right outside the door. She looks at her phone and notices a missed call from Shirley. Her shoulders drop and she becomes visibly distraught.

"Everything ok?" Alex asks

Tobin shows her the missed call notification displayed across the lock screen of her phone.

"Shit. You gonna call her back?"

Tobin lets out a tight breath. "I kinda have to right?"

Alex shrugs her shoulders.

"I'll meet you up in the room." Tobin says with her eyes still on the phone. Alex gives her a pat on the back and strides past her toward the lobby.

Tobin looks around the pool and sees a group of her teammates in the pool doing a recovery routine, including Christen. She watches the girl in her sports bra and shorts bobbing in the water, chatting with the other girls nearby. The irony of the situation isn't lost on Tobin and she lets out a sarcastic chuckle to herself. Here she is about to break up with her girlfriend while the girl she's been pining over the last few days stands meters from her. The universe has a funny way of sending messages sometimes.

Tobin sneaks out of a nearby side door to avoid the eyes of her teammates and ends up outside. It's later than Tobin realized and the sun has already set behind the horizon. She takes a deep breath before picking up her phone and dialing the familiar international number. It rings two times and a groggy voice answers on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Uh, hi Shirley, it's Tobin. Did I wake you up?" Tobin asks quietly

"No I'm awake now. I called you earlier but you didn't pick up." Shirley notes with an abrasive tone.

"Sorry. Listen, there's something I need to talk to you about." Tobin says, her voice wavering in anticipation and nerves.

"Yeah baby, what's going on?" Shirley responds somewhat more interested.

Tobin collects herself and launches into a speech she had been thinking about since the plane ride to Florida. "I've been doing a lot of thinking while I've been here. When I left, we kind of left things badly. We've been fighting a lot lately and I know it's just because you want me around, but I can't keep leaving knowing that it'll end in a fight."

Shirley starts to interrupt, but Tobin cuts her off, "Just let me finish ok? What I'm saying is, I really care about you, but I don't think I can give you what you need. I can't be around all the time and I don't think it's fair to ask me to give up my career to make this work." Tobin swallows hard, waiting for Shirley's response.

"So are you saying you don't want to be with me anymore?" Shirley says numbly.

"Yeah. Yeah I guess." Tobin says apprehensively. She expected a bigger reaction from Shirley based on how emotionally she reacted to everything else. Her flat affect was shocking to Tobin. Tobin listens to dead air space, waiting for some kind of reaction.

Finally, Shirley breaks the silence. "No. I don't think that's what you want to do. We're not breaking up. This is just a bump in the road. I think you're just lonely and missing me. I'll let you sleep on it and we can discuss this in the morning and we can figure it out..."

Tobin interrupts, "Shirley, Shirley, you're not listening to me. I can't do this anymore with you. We have to end things. I'm sorry" Tobin's voice becomes firmer, demanding even.

"Sorry?! You're not fucking Sorry!" Shirley yells over the phone. Tobin pulls the phone away from her ear. This is more of the reaction she was expecting. "If you really cared about me, you would have never let this happen. I would never abandon you like this Tobin."

"Abandon you? What?! Shirley, this is ridiculous. I didn't abandon you, I came back to do my job! You can't chastise me for pursuing my career and doing what I love!"

"I thought you loved me!" Tobin could hear Shirley's voice crack with emotion and tears.

"I did love you Shirley! how could you say I didn't? You were everything to me. You don't think this is hurting me too? I spent two years with you and now I have nothing to show for it." Tobin exclaims passionately over the phone. "I just can't be with someone who doesn't let me follow my own goals and is so possessive that every time I go anywhere, I get interrogated and shit on. It's not fair! I don't want that." Tobin's heart is racing, pounding in her ears. Her mouth is dry from her heavy breathing.

Tobin hears Shirley sniffle and sigh, trying to gather herself. "Ok, ok, you're right. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Can we--please, just wait. Give it one night to sleep on it before we make any final decisions. I don't want to lose you Tobin. I love you. Don't leave me like this." Shirley pleads with Tobin, her words just barely audible.

Tobin sighs. She bites the inside of her lip, knowing that she isn't going to change her mind, but maybe a night to process would help Shirley digest the change, and they could talk civilly about it tomorrow. Resigning to the idea, Tobin agrees. "Yeah. Ok. Let's give it a night--I'll talk to you tomorrow I guess. Get some sleep ok? Goodnight Shirley."

"Good night Tobin. I love you." Shirley says quietly.

Tobin doesn't respond and merely hangs up the phone, confused and unsure how to process what the fuck just happened. Before her mind has a chance to stop her legs, Tobin starts walking. She walks with no particular destination or goal in mind, she just knows she needs to do something. Her body ambulates on autopilot while her mind races. She ambles down the sidewalk past countless blocks and street corners, not registering any of it. At a certain point, her mind goes blank and she just focuses on the sound of her flip flops against the pavement and her steady breathing in and out. At some point, a shiver snaps her back into reality as she realizes her clothes and hair are still damp from the previous sauna. She looks at the map on her phone to figure out where she is and plugs in the hotel address to get her back. When she sees that she's 20 blocks from the hotel, Tobin realizes just how long she l had spaced out. She sighs and turns around to start the long walk back to the hotel.

By the time she gets back, it's nearly one in the morning. Tobin tries to close the door quietly so as not to wake her roommate, but she hears her stir and the lamp between their beds flicks on.

"Where were you?" Alex asks, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"I was just walking around. I needed to think." Tobin responds as she squats down to her suitcase to pull out pajamas.

"It's nearly one in the morning Tobin. How far did you walk?" Alex questions

Tobin strips her damp shorts off and puts on a different pair of soccer shorts. She answers sheepishly as her shirt gets stuck around her head. "Uh, 20 blocks or so."

"20 blocks?! Tobin. What happened? Are you ok?" Alex says, fully sitting up in her bed now.

"Yeah I'm ok. I called Shirley. I tried to end things but she wouldn't let me." Tobin says with her back turned to Alex, rustling through her bag.

"Wait, what do mean she wouldn't let you? Hate to say it, but that's not how break ups work." Alex says, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, I mean, it's not like she wouldn't let me. We just like, decided to wait a night and sleep on it. It's a big decision you know? I think that's fair." Tobin tries to convince her roommate.

"Tobin." Alex groans, eyes furrowed and sympathetic, but Tobin can tell by her tone that she's disappointed in her.

Tobin back peddles, trying to rationalize as she crawls under the blankets and into her bed. "No, I know what you're thinking. This isn't just her being manipulative. I actually think it's good for her to have some time to take in what we talked about tonight. I think it'll be for the best. Really. Just trust me on this ok? I know how she works. It'll be fine, I promise."

Alex lets out a deep breath and pulls the covers back over herself, laying back down in the bed. "Ok, I hope you know what you're doing."

Alex turns out the light between them and settles back into bed. "Good night Tobin"

"Night Alex." Tobin's head hits the pillow, but no sleep comes. Despite being exhausted, both mentally and physically, her body can't calm down and she rolls and shifts in bed most of the night, only finding a fitful sleep.


	5. Chapter 3: Christen's POV

  
Sitting at breakfast, Christen mulls over everything that's happened the past few days while stirring her spoon in her untouched yogurt cup. She's pulled from her thoughts by a familiar voice.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Tobin brings over a cup of coffee and sets it in front of Christen before taking a seat next to her. This had become the routine for the two since camp started. They would chat sleepily over coffee, waking up their brains as they prepared for the day of training. The conversations were light and usually consisted of practice strategy, things they missed from home, the previous evening's card game, or dreams from the night before. Christen opted not to tell Tobin of the rather explicit dreams she'd been having most nights.

"I was just thinking how I'm going to miss having someone bring me coffee every morning once camp is over." Christen teases, earning a small grin from Tobin. "How'd you sleep." Christen asks as she took a sip of the steaming drink.

"Uh not that great to be honest." Tobin says with her eyes fixated on her own cup. Until she'd said this, Christen hadn't noticed the bags resting under Tobin's blood-shot eyes and the sluggish air about her. She looks tired, but there is something more behind those eyes.

"You ok?" Christen asks, genuinely concerned.

"Yeah, just kinda had a rough night. Do you ever have those nights where you can't turn your brain off?"

"Definitely."

"Yeah, I just had one of those nights"

"Anything in particular you were thinking about?" Christen treads lightly as she realizes the new territory she was wading into, sensing the conversation may be deeper than their typical morning small talk.

Tobin opens her mouth to speak, but then decides against it and shakes her head, looking away. "Uh, nothing important. Just stupid stuff."

Christen senses her hesitation to open up. She doesn't want to press the already drained girl, so she leaves it alone. "Well if you ever need someone to talk to, even if it is stupid stuff, let me know. Sometimes it helps to just talk it out with someone. Seriously, I'm here if you need anything."

Tobin looks up and gives Christen a weak, but genuine smile. "Thanks, I might take you up on that."

"So how are you? Are you completely over camp yet?" Tobin says, changing the subject.

Christen sits back in her chair "Yeah. I've had so much fun and I feel like I've really improved in such a small amount of time, but to be completely honest, I'm kinda homesick. I miss my own bed and my dogs."

Tobin smiles and adds, "It'll also be nice to not be sore every morning. I feel like such an old lady at camp!"

Christen laughs at this and agrees. "Yeah I won't miss that."

The girls are interrupted by an announcement that the bus would be leaving for the practice field in 5 minutes.

"Well that's our cue. Come on grandma, let's get you to the bus." Christen laughs and offers her hand to help Tobin from her seat. Tobin grabs her hand and uses it to pull herself up. "Why thank you young lady." Tobin's hand was strong and calloused, but felt good wrapped in Christen's. Their hands linger together intertwined a few moments too long as their laughter diminishes. Their eyes stay locked together and Christen swears she sees color appear in Tobin's cheeks before she jerks her hand away. Tobin gives her a nervous smile and turns to walk toward the bus. _What was that?_

the coaches work the girls hard on the field and in the weight room that day. Two-a-days were something the team would have to get used to. Conditioning and strength training to start the day, followed by ball skills, scrimmaging, drills, and practicing set pieces to end it. By the time the coaches blow the final whistle to end practice, the team is exhausted. Knowing they had pushed the girls hard that day, the coaches reward the girls with a nice dinner out on the town as a team instead of the usual buffet-style dinner in the hotel ballroom. The team cheers at this and energy levels pick up at bit at the prospect of getting out of their hotel for a night.

Back at the hotel, Christen and Kelley get ready for their team dinner. Christen opts for a casual tank top and jeans while Kelley wears shorts and a cute slouchy t-shirt. They meet the rest of the team downstairs and walk to the restaurant nearby. Christen's reminded of her first night when the girls met in a similar fashion, and the events that sparked her admiration for the brown eyed midfielder walking right in front of her. Christen eyes the girl from behind, admiring the black jeans wrapped tight around her ass and loose fitting tank top revealing her cut shoulders and arms. She looks up to view Tobin's profile as she laughs with Alex next to her. Her eyes light up and Christen thinks how she wants to make Tobin laugh like that. Christen doesn't get a seat next to Tobin at dinner, but sits between Kelley and Alex. The team enjoy each other's company and Christen laughs hard and often with her new friends. As dinner winds down, Tobin gets up from the table with her phone to her ear. Christen watches as Tobin and Alex share a look. Alex gives Tobin a disappointed look and Tobin shrugs her shoulders before walking outside to take the call.

Alex turns toward Kelley. "I swear, that girl is more trouble than she's worth. She's always picking fights with Tobin. I wouldn't put up with it if I were Tobin."

Christen furrows her eyebrows, "what happened?" She asked Alex

"Tobin's girlfriend is just...a lot to handle. She calls her almost every night. They fight, then they make up. It makes no sense to me why they're still together. I think Tobin's just scared to let her go you know?"

Christen nods taking in this new information.

"Here we go." Kelley says as she looks out the front window of the restaurant at a pacing and rather distraught looking Tobin. Kelley continues. "It's been getting worse hasn't it." This question directed at Alex.

Alex nods pursing her lips. "She was up almost half the night last night. It was a mess."

That's why she was so tired this morning.

"Alright act natural people, here she comes."

Tobin sulks in and takes her seat quietly. Kelley and Alex share a knowing glance and Alex gives a shrug to Christen. Christen takes this as a cue to speak up. "Uh, you guys ready to go?" Christen asks.

The four stand up and are followed by a few other girls from the team. Christen finds herself walking next to Tobin on the way back to the hotel. They walk in silence, but Christen doesn't feel the need to break it with idle chit chat. She can see Tobin is deep in thought and Christen doesn't want to interrupt her concentration. They make it back to the hotel and separate to their respective rooms without so much as a glance at each other.

Some time later, Kelley's phone vibrates and lights up with a text from Alex. Kelley looks at her phone and giggles deviously. "Hey, Alex wants to blow this popsicle stand and go out tonight. Whadya say? You wanna get your ninja skills on and sneak out with us?"

Christen, already snuggled under her blanket in pajamas with a book, chuckles a little at how she couldn't be any less willing to leave her cocoon. "You guys go ahead. I'll hold down the fort for you."

"Ok suit yourself. Will you at least keep your phone handy in case we need an inside man to sneak us back in?"

"Sure. I can be an accomplice"

"Thanks man. Don't wait up!" Kelley says over her shoulder as she exits the room.

Christen lets out a content sigh. She hasn't had much time to herself lately and it feels nice to sit in silence with her thoughts. She loses track of time, lost in her thoughts. Suddenly she hears a knock on the door. Christen looks over at the red number illuminated on the clock next to her. That can't be Kelley already, it's only been half an hour. Christen thinks to herself. She swings the door open expecting to see the freckle faced girl, but is greeted with sullen brown eyes. Tobin looks up at Christen "Hey, can I take you up on your offer to talk?" Tobin's eyes are red and tear stained. Christen's heart melts. She'd never seen Tobin look so vulnerable. "Of course, come in." Christen moves aside to let Tobin enter the room. Tobin makes her way over to the far bed and takes a seat on the edge. Christen closes the door and follow suit, sitting next to the girl. Christen's not sure how to break the silence so the two sit wordless for a few moments. Tobin takes a long deep breath and releases it as if to prepare herself. She launches in. "So I'm sure by now you've heard I have a girlfriend." Tobin glances at Christen from the corner of her eye to gauge her reaction to this confession. Although Christen had been made aware of this, her heart still drops at the sound of Tobin verbalizing it. She tries her best not to let her disappointment show and merely smiles and nods her head, encouraging Tobin to continue.

Tobin sees this gesture and decides to continue, "We've been having some trouble lately with the whole distance thing. When I was in Paris everything was fine. We had so much fun and I really fell for her. But when I moved back, things got harder. She can be jealous sometimes and at first I thought it was cute how much she cared about me, but it really ramped up once I moved away. She sees pictures of me out with my friends and starts shit for no reason. I guess negative attention is better than no attention."

Tobin takes another deep breath and looks toward Christen for any sign of discomfort at this sudden deluge of honesty. Christen just nods her head, indicating she's right there with her. Tobin continues "so lately we've been fighting a lot. Last night she gave me an ultimatum that I have to move back to Paris or we're done. I really do care about her and I think if we were closer, things would get better, but I'm just starting to get my career in a place I want. I've worked so hard to get here. If I abandoned this now, I'd never forgive myself. But I don't want to lose her either. I just--I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I know I should end it before it gets any worse but it just--sucks."

Tears run down Tobin's cheek as she finishes her thought. Christen instinctively wraps her arm around Tobin and runs her hand up and down her shaking back to comfort her. Tobin leans into the touch and rests her head under Christen's chin. Christen can smell the familiar shampoo scent in Tobin's hair.

Christen speaks up. "Do you want my honest opinion?" Christen asks.

Tobin nods "yeah, please."

Christen organizes her thoughts momentarily and speaks. "Well if it's any consolation, I feel like ultimatums aren't usually a good way to get what you want. If she really cares about you, she'd be more willing to compromise. I know it's hard to let go of a relationship you've invested so much time and love into, but if you have to give up on your dreams to satisfy hers, maybe it isn't meant to be." Silence falls over the two again. Tobin shifts away from Christen's shoulder and rests her elbows on her knees, putting her head in her hands. Christen pulls hair away from Tobin's face and sweeps it to the side. She continues to stroke her hair. "It'll be okay. I know it sucks now, but someone else will come along who loves you for who you are and supports your goals no matter what. It'll happen when you least expect it. You deserve someone who will talk to you in the middle of the night when you can't sleep. Someone who kisses you even when you have a cold. Someone who laughs at your dumb jokes and terrible Borat impersonation."

This earns a small laugh from Tobin. She sniffles and sits up to look at Christen. "She hated that movie." Tobin says as she laughs a little harder. Christen smiles at this.

"I need someone who can cheer me up like you can." Tobin says to Christen. Christen's smile falters somewhat at this and her cheeks flush. She looks down at her hands hoping Tobin doesn't notice the deep red covering her face. She feels Tobin scoot closer and lift her head up with her finger, making close eye contact. "I really appreciate you listening to me. Not everyone can do that you know." Christen smiles. They sit eye to eye for what seems like an eternity. Christen's heart beats hard and fast and she hopes Tobin can't hear it pounding through her chest. Christen feels their breaths mingling and she can tell Tobin recently brushed her teeth based on the slight minty smell. She suddenly realizes that Tobin's hand is resting on her thigh and her stomach does somersaults. She feels almost dizzy from the proximity and contact they share. Just as Christen opens her mouth to speak, her lips are covered lightly by Tobin's. They press gently against hers, and Christen is immediately intoxicated at the taste. Her mind is racing, swimming in a mixture of excitement, apprehension, uncertainty, and relief. Before Christen has a chance to even kiss her back, Tobin recoils. Tobin shakes her head and puts the heels of her hands to her eyes, rubbing them hard. "Fuck, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I just--I felt--you were. Fuck." She sighs loudly. Christen puts her fingers up to her own lips, gliding them across the skin just touched by Tobin's. Christen wants nothing more than to feel those lips again, but sits idly, not knowing how to react to the situation. Tobin stands up and paces the room, driven by a swirl of conflicting emotions. Christen watches the girl walk back and forth across the small room as she mutters to herself.

Christen interjects, "It's ok. Don't worry about it. It's really not that big of a deal, honestly. Forget it happened" Christen said in the most convincing voice she can muster. She stands to collect Tobin and puts her hands on her shoulders, rubbing up and down the sides of her arms. "I said you could come to me for anything right?" She smiled and looked down at Tobin to catch her eyes and bring her gaze up from the floor.

Tobin relinquishes and smiles back at Christen. "Thanks. I'm sorry, that was a stupid mistake. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I just feel really comfortable with you and I have all these feelings I'm trying to sort out. Thanks for being cool and not hating me."

If only Tobin knew how far Christen was from hating her. Christen swallows hard "No problem." She manages to get out. A pause fills the room and Christen, not wanting Tobin to leave so soon, breaks the silence. "Do you want to hang out and watch a movie or something?"

"Sure, if you're sure you don't mind. I probably won't be able to fall asleep anyway." Tobin jumps back onto Christen's bed and scoots herself to rest her back against the headboard. She pats the seat next to her inviting Christen to join her. Christen complies and jumps onto the bed, crawling her way to the place next to Tobin.

They decide on a movie and sit in relative silence, laughing and pointing out plot holes intermittently. Eventually, Christen realizes she hasn't heard Tobin laugh or comment in a while. She looks over to see Tobin slumped next to her, eyes closed and mouth slightly agape. Her breathing is slow and deep. Not wanting to wake the sleeping girl, Christen leans over Tobin to turn off the lamp next to her and finds the remote to click off the television. She situates herself under the blankets and brings them up over Tobin's body. Christen turns to face the outside of the bed as she gets herself comfortable. As she closes her eyes, she feels Tobin stir next to her. Thinking she was moving to get up and return to her own room, Christen is surprised to feel the girl scooting closer to Christen, initiating contact. Christen feels Tobin's smooth legs graze up against hers, and her hands and forearms resting lightly against Christen's back. Tobin's steady breathing tickles the back of Christen's neck, but she enjoys the warmth. Christen lay motionless, not wanting to ruin this moment between them.

Well at least one of us will be sleeping tonight.

Some time around two o'clock, Kelley comes barging into the room. The door slams shut and Kelley curses to herself as she trips over random items scattered over the floor. Christen wakes immediately and rolls over to reach for the lamp to offer some light to the stumbling girl. As she turns, she locks eyes with Tobin who is still nuzzled under the blankets next to her. They share a smile and a quick laugh before turning their attention toward Kelley.

As the light flickers on, Kelley looks over toward the bed and her eyes widen at the sight of both girls in the bed. "Hey woah woah sorry to interrupt" Kelley covers her eyes dramatically as she slurs loudly. "Just make sure you have clothes on before I open my eyes."

Tobin pulls the blanket back and jumps quickly out of bed, leaving Christen a few degrees cooler. "It's not like that, we were watching a movie and I fell asleep." Tobin says in a panicked voice

"Suuuure" Kelley draws out as she walks into the bathroom.

Tobin straightens her clothes and runs her hands through her hair. "Uh, I should probably go anyway. If Kelley's here, that means Alex probably isn't too far behind. I'll see you at practice" Tobin offers a wave and half-hearted smile before she slips out the door.

"Bye." Christen says to the empty room. She falls backward onto the bed and let's out a sigh, staring at the ceiling.

"Well well well, what a compromising position to find you two in." Kelley leans against the door frame of the bathroom looking somewhat more sober.

"It's really not what you think. I think she and her girlfriend had some kind of falling out and she just needed someone to talk to."

Kelley looks unconvinced. "Whatever you say. All I'm saying is that the Sexual Tension. Was. Palpable!" She accentuates each word with a clap between them.

Christen sighs, knowing she couldn't fool Kelley. She relinquishes the act and divulges "Even if there is tension, it's not coming from her end, I can tell you that much."

Kelley falls onto her bed and lays on her stomach, propping her head up with her hands. "Oh, I so called it. Ok spill. Details, I need details Press."

Christen sighs "She came in here cus she needed someone to talk to about stuff with her girlfriend. She was really emotional and confused and probably missed her, and....she kissed me." Kelley gasps but Christen continues before Kelley can speak. "Buuut, it was only for like a second and she immediately apologized and said it was a mistake and that she didn't mean it. She made it pretty clear that it didn't mean anything, so I'm not taking it too seriously."

Kelley looks incredulous, "What the fuck, you don't just kiss someone and then be all like, 'never mind I take it back'. Who does that?"

"Apparently Tobin." Christen responds to the rhetorical question.

"Dang that's kinda fucked up. How do you feel about all this?"

Christen shifts and grabs a pillow to hug around her chest. "I don't know. I think that kiss just kinda confirmed how much I really like her, but now that I know it's unrequited, I guess I'll just have to move on."

Kelley rolls her eyes. "Alright Silvia Plath, don't go slitting your wrists just yet. Maybe Tobin thought it was a mistake because she put you in an awkward position and the circumstances were weird. I mean, kissing a girl right after telling her about how you're planning on breaking up with your girlfriend isn't the most noble things to do. Maybe she just wanted it to happen under better conditions."

Christen sinks into the comfort of her bed. "Yeah maybe" she thinks out loud.

Kelley hops under the covers and turns off the lamp. "Chin up kid. She may surprise you."

Christen closes her eyes to try to sleep, but can't stop replaying the events from the night. Maybe Kelley was right. Maybe there was something to the subtle touches and the glances that last too long. Maybe she wasn't imagining the special attention Tobin gives her. Maybe the kiss wasn't a mistake. Eventually, Christen is overtaken by sleep and she dreams restlessly through the night.


	6. Chapter 3: Tobin's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the positive support everyone! Let me know how you're liking the set up so far with reading the same events twice through different perspectives.

Tobin feels like shit the next morning as she and Alex head down to breakfast. She can feel the bags weighing heavy on her eyes as she drags her body to the ballroom for breakfast. Her mood lifts considerably though upon seeing Christen already sitting at a table playing with the food in front of her. Tobin grabs a coffee for herself and another for Christen, enjoying this simple favor she gets to do for Christen in the morning. She walks over and notices Christen's typically cheerful demeanor was stilted and instead she looked pensive.  
  
"Penny for your thoughts?" Tobin asks her as she sets the steaming cup of coffee in front of Christen. She takes a seat in the chair next to her.  
  
A smile reappears on Christen's face at the sight of Tobin."Oh, just thinking about how I'm going to miss having someone deliver me coffee every morning." Christen teases. She looks up at Tobin and studies her face and the recognition of Tobin's disheveled appearance strikes her. "Hey you ok?" She asks  
  
Exhausted and tired from trying to keep herself from unraveling the past few days, Tobin opens her mouth to confess and relieve the built up stress and anxiety she's been keeping inside for so long. She inhales to speak, but retracts at the last minute. She closes her mouth and scrounges to find something to say to the worried eyes in front of her. "Do you ever have those nights where you just can't shut off your brain?"  
  
Christen nods her head in the affirmative.  
  
"Yeah, just one of those nights." Tobin says feeling guilty for not admitting what was actually going on. She reasons that it's too early and she doesn't want to drag Christen into her bullshit anyway, so it's better to just keep her mouth shut about it.  
  
"Well if you ever need someone to talk to, even if it is stupid stuff, let me know. Sometimes it helps to just talk it out with someone. Seriously, I'm here if you need anything." Christen offers, leaning forward and placing a reassuring hand on Tobin's knee.  
  
Tobin smirks at the touch "I might take you up on that" Tobin actually means it, feeling that Christen is someone she could trust and really open up to. Until now, Alex was about the only person Tobin felt completely comfortable around, but after just a few short days, she finds herself so relaxed and able to be her genuine self around her beautiful dark haired teammate.  
  
The two head to the bus to get to the training facility a short drive away. Tobin's mind swims in the confusing cesspool of her love life. She runs on autopilot during practice and strength training which serves her well during conditioning. She doesn't feel the burning in her legs or the heaving of her chest. Tobin has no capacity to register the exhaustion. During field practice, she works on set pieces and tries to refocus her mind on the motion of kicking the perfect corner, but her mind wanders every time a dark brown pony tail comes into view at the top of the 18. As she sets up ball after ball, she watches Christen slide in and out of defenders, trying to get the perfect look. Tobin serves it right to her a couple of times and she manages to volley it right out of the air into the back of the net. Tobin tries not to smile too wide, but can't cover up the look of admiration directed at Christen. Finally, the coaches call it, and whistles end the grueling practice. It was a long hot day and all the girls are drenched in sweat and mentally and physically drained. The coaches announce that as a reward for an excellent practice, the team would be going out to dinner at a nearby restaurant instead of eating at the hotel. Tobin doesn't mind the hotel food, but she and many of the others have been getting stir crazy confined in their hotel. This is a much needed change of pace.  
  
At the hotel, Tobin and Alex get ready for dinner in their room. Tobin pulls on a casual shirt and jeans and leaves her hair wet from her earlier shower. She dabs on a bit of mascara but otherwise leaves her face alone, not bothering with any kind of makeup routine.  
  
Alex comes out of the bathroom with windswept hair after just blow drying it. "I wish my hair would dry naturally like yours." She says as she walks out of the bathroom to grab her straighter from her luggage.   
  
"Yeah, it's just too long to try and do anything with it at this point, so natural it is." Tobin says half-heartedly.  
  
An audible sigh echoes off the walls of the bathroom. "Tobin, I know you've had a rough couple of days, but if you'd just talk about it and get it out, I think you'd bevel better."  
  
"I did talk about it with you." Tobin responds defensively  
  
"No I mean really talk about it. Like, sort out your feelings and just let them out. I mean, you tell me what happened, but you never go into much detail about how you actually feel about it. That's the part that tears you up." Alex tries to convince the girl in a warm voice.  
  
Tobin lets out a deep breath. "I'm just--I'm not ready. I'm not even sure what I'm feeling at this point." This of course was a lie. A lie she had been trying to convince herself of the past couple of days. In actuality, she knows how she feels and what she wants. Though she will always care for Shirley, she has no room left on her heart for the girl. Tobin knows it's over, it's just a matter of convincing Shirley of that. And then there's Christen. God what she wouldn't do to make this simple. Tobin's attraction to the girl is undeniable, yes, but she doesn't know if Christen feels the same way toward her. Hell, she doesn't even actually know if the girl is gay or not. All she knows is she can't stop looking at her when she's around or thinking about her when she's not. She feels a connection to Christen, but can't be sure if the feeling is mutual.  
  
"Ok well when you are ready, you know I'm here. I feel like I've been pressing you about this a lot lately, but I just want you to be happy, ok? Now help me pick out something cute to wear. And don't give me a snap back, I've worked too hard on this hair to cover it up with a hat." Alex teases, pointing her hairbrush at Tobin.  
  
They make it to the dinner spot with the large group of players and staff. Tobin feels kind of bad for the restaurant staff, knowing how demanding her teammates can be sometimes. Tobin sits at the end of the table next to Alex. She doesn't feel much like talking so Alex acts as a buffer, fielding questions and keeping conversation around her flowing so that Tobin has to only minimally participate. Suddenly, Tobin feels her pocket vibrate. She jumps a little at the sensation and pulls it out of her pocket, looking the screen to see who it is. Her stomach drops upon seeing Shirley's name. She looks over at Alex who gives her a disapproving glare, but Tobin stands and excuses herself from the table anyway, nothing apologies to her friends. She answers the phone and steps outside to the front of the restaurant.  
  
"Hello?" Tobin says tentatively  
  
"Hi Tobin, I miss you. How are you?" Shirley says in a sticky sweet voice.  
  
"Uh, good, good. I'm at dinner with the team so I really can't talk right now." Tobin tries to keep the annoyance in her voice to a minimum.  
  
"But baby, we haven't talked all day and I wanted to see if you thought about what we talked about last night." The desperation in Shirley's voice comes through just enough for Tobin to notice.  
  
"Uh, yeah. Shirley—I don’t know. I just—I’m not happy with this. With us.”

“Tobin, Tobin just wait. Baby I love you. I can’t be with anyone else. I can’t lose you, I won’t lose you. We’ll fix this” Shirley demands.

Losing her patience, Tobin paces back and forth in front of the restaurant, running her fingers through her hair, her voice escalating. “Shirley, there isn’t anything to fix. I don’t want to fix it. It’s too much for me.”

There’s a long pause on the other end. Tobin hears Shirley’s breath catching in her throat. “Shirley? Are you still there?”

The line goes dead without a response. Tobin looks down at her phone to make sure and the screen goes black. “What the fuck.” Tobin verbalizes loudly to herself, throwing her hands in the air. Tobin unlocks her phone and hovers over Shirley’s contact information to call her back and finish what she started, but her thumb sits motionless above the call button. Frustrated, Tobin thrusts her phone into her pocket and returns inside the restaurant. She sees Kelley and Alex whispering over Christen, knowing that they’re talking about her, but she doesn’t care. Tobin just needs to get out, so when Christen asks if they’re ready to go, Tobin gladly obliges and bolts to the door toward their hotel. Tobin strides ahead of the girls, still too wrapped up in the phone call and her inability to end things with Shirley. At first she took mercy on Shirley, understanding that this is a huge loss and that it might take some time to adjust to life without each other. But the fact that Shirley won’t even talk to her like an adult and end things on a civil note pisses Tobin off to no end. She’s been nothing but understanding and she would hope that Shirley would respect her wishes and just want her to be happy instead of selfishly drawing out the breakup and causing Tobin more pain and self-doubt. So wrapped up in thought, Tobin almost misses the entrance to the hotel. Alex calls out for her a few paces behind and jogs ahead to grab her arm and direct the pensive brunette inside. They go up to the hotel room in silence and enter their room without a word.

Tobin sits on the hotel bed, hunched over with her elbow on her knees. Alex stands just inside the doorway with her arms crossed, looking expectantly at the huddled girl in front of her. They sit like this for what seems like hours in a standoff, neither wanting to be the first to concede by speaking. Tobin knows that Alex desperately wants to help her and understand what’s going on inside her head, but Tobin can’t verbalize the emotions. Thoughts race around her head and she’s scared to open the floodgates, worried that verbalizing her anguish will somehow make it more real. She knows how Alex feels and she can’t take another lecture about how she needs to end it. The guilt wraps Tobin’s stomach in a vice grip, and at this point, Alex’s knowing stare just makes it worse.

Finally, Alex sighs and throws her hands up in exasperation. “Well if you’re not going to talk to me, I’ll just leave you alone.” Alex pulls her phone out to send out a text message as she walks into the bathroom. Tobin falls on her bed numbly, unable to even respond.

Alex spends about fifteen minutes in the bathroom rummaging through her toiletries bag and clinking makeup containers on the tiled counters. She exits the bathroom and gives Tobin a sympathetic look.

“Tobin, look I’m sorry. I’ll give you some space ok? I just want to help.”

Tobin nods but keeps her eyes on the ceiling.

“Ok well, Kelley and I are sneaking out for a bit. You think you can cover for me if the coaches come by?” Alex asks quietly

“Yeah I got you.” Tobin states simply

Alex nods and lingers a little with her hand on the doorknob. “Ok, well, let me know if you need anything. I have my cell ok? I’ll be back later.”

They exchange goodbyes and the door latches shut behind Alex. Tobin rolls over and grabs the remote to turn on the television. She clicks through channels absentmindedly, but can’t calm her thoughts. Her chest tightens and she feels wet trails form on her cheeks. In the solitude of the room, she allows herself to cry. She internally berates herself for being so emotional about one stupid phone call, but she knows that it’s not just this one thing, it’s the culmination of the past few days, working up the strength to finally end it with Shirley, but not quite being able to pull the trigger. She tells herself she’s a coward, hopeless, and scared to be alone. She spirals into an internal monologue of pessimism and self-loathing. The floodgates were open.

Finally, she comes up for air and takes a deep, soothing breath. Tobin sits up on the bed and runs her sleeve over her eyes and nose, noticing the tear-stained comforter where her face had been. She shivers, suddenly realizing how chilly the room was. She grabs a sweatshirt and pulls it over her head, smoothing the static out of her messy bun. Without thinking, Tobin grabs her card key and exits the room, not sure where her feet were taking her. As she ambles down the hallway, she stops in front of Christen’s room. She notices a light coming through under the doorway, so she knows the girl is awake. Tobin takes a step forward and raises her hand to the door. She pauses in a moment of uncertainty, but overrides this feeling and taps her knuckles lightly against the door before she second-guesses herself. Moments later, the door swings open and she’s greeted by the calm green pools she’d become so enamored with.

  
"Hey, can I take you up on your offer to talk?" Tobin says with a half-hearted smile.  
  
Chriten’s face immediately softens into a look of concern, “Yeah of course, come sit.” Christen steps back from the door and lets the girl glide past her to sit on Christen’s bed. Christen follows her and takes a seat next to her. They sit silently shoulder to shoulder a few minutes as Tobin collects her thoughts. Unsure where to start, Tobin starts at the beginning, knowing that she just needs to release every bit of poison before it does more damage. “So I’m sure you’ve heard I have a girlfriend.” Tobin says with a sarcastic bite. She looks toward Christen, gauging her reaction, but Christen’s face remains unchanged. Tobin sighs and continues, “We’ve been having some issues lately with the whole distance thing. When I was in Paris everyting was fine. We got along really well and I fell for her. But when I come back, things are harder. She can be jealous and possessive, which I thought was cute at first, but it really bothers me that it’s like she can’t trust me. She sees pictures with my friends or fans and just can’t take it so she starts shit for no reason. I guess negative attention is better than no attention.” Tobin stop to take a breath and see if Christen looks uncomfortable at this outpouring of emotions. To be honest, Tobin’s just as shocked as anyone, but Christen’s demeanor remains steady and she gives Tobin a reassuring smile. Tobin continues, “So lately we’ve been fighting a lot. Before I left, she basically told me that I should quit the national team and move to Paris to be with her. I really do care about her, but I can’t just quit my career to move in with her. I know that things are good when we’re together, and maybe they’d be fine if we were closer, but I’m just starting to get my career going and I’ve worked so hard to get here. If I abandon this now, I’d never forgive myself. I don’t want to lose her forever because she is important to me. I just--I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I know I should just end things before it gets any worse, but it just—sucks.”  
  
Tobin feels the tears she’d been fighting back roll down her cheek into the crease of her lips. Christen wraps her arms around Tobin and Tobin falls into the touch, not realizing how much she needed the physical comfort. She rests her head on Christen’s chest and listens to the gentle thumping of Christen’s heartbeat. The sound is soothing to Tobin and she relaxes further. The sound of Christen’s voice vibrates in her chest. “Do you want my honest opinion?” she asks.  
  
Tobin nods her head yes.  
  
“Well, I don’t think her giving you an ultimatum like that is a good way to get what she wants. If she really cared about you and wanted to keep you, I think she should be more willing to compromise. I know breakups are hard when you’ve invested so much of yourself into them, but if you have to give up your dreams to satisfy hers, maybe it’s not meant to be.”  
  
Tobin shifts out of Christen’s arms and rests her head in her hands. Tobin knows she’s right. Christen’s hands sweep across her neck, pulling stray hair away from her skin and continue to play with her hair. Tobin tilts her head to give Christen better access to her caramel brown locks, enjoying the comforting sensation. Christen speaks softly. “It’ll be ok. I know it sucks now, but the right person will come along who loves you and supports you no matter what. You deserve someone who will lay awake talking with you in the middle of the night when you can’t sleep. Someone who kisses you even when you’re sick, someone who laughs at your dumb jokes and terrible Borat impression.” Tobin laughs at this comment, exhaling some of her misery and lightening the mood considerably. She wipes her nose and shakes her head, “God she hated that movie.” Tobin laughs a little harder, feeling the weight lifting off her chest. Alex was right, maybe she did need to just talk through all of this, or maybe it was the fact that it was Christen that made her feel better.  
  
  
"I need someone who can cheer me up like you can." Tobin says with a chuckle. Tobin looks at Christen and sees her face reddening as she smiles with her head down. Wanting to see those beautiful green eyes, Tobin lifts Christen’s head with a crooked finger until they are face to face. "I really appreciate you listening to me. Not everyone can do that you know." They hold each other’s gaze and Tobin’s eyes flick down to Christen’s lips, noticing how she runs her tongue across them to wet the bottom one before rubbing them together to parch the top lip. With all inhibition lost, Tobin leans forward and lightly touches her lips to Christen’s. She marvels at the instant spark coursing though her at this simple touch. Before she has time to enjoy it, her body’s immediate reaction to Christen jolts her from her lapse in judgment and Tobin jerks away surprised and confused by her own actions.  
  
"Fuck, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I just--I felt--you were. Fuck." She sighs loudly as she bolts to her feet. Tobin paces the room embarrassed at how pathetic she must seem to Christen. First she spills her guts about her soon to be ex, then she kisses her. Tobin admonishes herself under her breath for acting so foolishly.  
  
Christen’s voice breaks her from her thoughts, "It's ok. Don't worry about it. It's really not that big of a deal, honestly. Forget about it.” Christen stands from her place on the bed looking fairly unfazed by the whole series of events. She walks over to Tobin and puts her hands on her shoulders. “I said you could come to me for anything right?"  
  
Tobin looks up from the floor and meets the assuring gaze of Christen. "Thanks. I'm sorry, that was a mistake. I don't know what got into me. I guess you just make me feel comfortable, and I have all these feelings I'm trying to sort out. Thanks for being cool and not freaking out."   
  
Christen rubs her hands down Tobin’s arms and smiles, “Of course” she whispers.  
  
Christen clears her throat and breaks the silence that had fallen between them, “Um, well if you want, you’re welcome to stay and watch a movie with me.” She says in a cheery tone.  
  
Tobin smiles, glad that she hadn’t lost Christen because of her sudden lapse in self-control. “Yeah, I’d like that. I probably won’t be getting to sleep any time soon anyway.”  
  
With that, Tobin jumps on the bed playfully and scoots back to rest against the headboard. She pats the seat next to her, inviting Christen to sit next to her. Christen’s face lights up as she bounds into the bed and nestles under the covers next to Tobin. Tobin sinks into Christen’s shoulder and rests her head there. They watch the movie together, joking and making comments about it throughout, but Tobin feels her eyes become heavy and she struggles to keep them open until a peaceful sleep finally takes her.  
  
Some time later, Tobin is jolted from her sleep by the sound of banging and cursing. She thrusts open her eyes and inhales sharply, briefly forgetting where she was. She looks toward the cause of the racket and sees Kelley bumbling about the dark room, her figure silhouetted against the light of the closing door. Just as Tobin shifts to turn on the lamp, she feels warmth press up against her side. She looks over and sees Christen leaning over her, arm outstretched to flick on the lamp on the bedside table. They look at each other smiling, and giggle at the red head.  
  
“Whoah, hey, sorry to interrupt. Just let me get into the bathroom so you put your clothes back on.” Kelley says boisterously with her hands covering her eyes.  
  
Tobin panics and jerks up out of bed. “Oh, no Kelley. It’s not like that.” She says waving her hands in font of her body defensively.  
  
“Suuuuure.” Kelley slurs out. “Well I’ll just be in here.” She says as she makes her way into the bathroom.  
  
Tobin pulls down her sweatshirt to straighten it out and fixes her hair into a messy bun. “I should probably get going anyway. If Kelley’s here, that means Alex is probably close behind her.” Tobin says, walking backward to the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that, Tobin cracks the door and slides out before she even hears a response from Christen, too mortified to stay in Christen’s presence any longer. Tobin shuffles quickly down the hall, trying to escape from the place of embarrassment that still leaves a residual heat in her cheeks and neck. Tobin reaches the door to her hotel room and pats herself down looking for the slim key card in the creases of her clothing.  
  
“Hey loser, you locked out or something?” Tobin sees Alex smirking as she trots in a drunken stupor down the hallway. Tobin offers her a crooked half-smile before Alex nudges past her to unlock the door. Alex bursts into the room and falls onto the bed.  
  
“How was your night champ?” Alex asks, eyes looking up at the ceiling.  
  
Tobin rolls her eyes and sighs, realizing she might as well tell Alex what’s going on since she’s been doing a lot of gushing tonight anyway. “I told Christen about Shirley.” Alex shoots up with wide eyes and inhales quickly to speak, but Tobin continues before Alex gets a word in, “And then I kissed her.” Tobin says flatly.  
  
“Wait—What?!” Alex’s face contorts in confusion as she shakes her head back and forth, “Hold on, back up. You told her about Shirley?” Alex asks expectantly. Tobin nods her head. “And then you fucking kissed her?” Alex blurts out. Tobin nods again. “Jesus fucking Christ Tobin! Coming on a little strong don’t you think?”  
  
Tobin lets her cheeks inflate with a strong exhale as she sits down on the bed, putting her head in her hands. “Alex, I don’t even know what to tell you. I must have just blacked out or was possessed or something. I was—she just—fuck, you should have seen her. I was so upset, and she was so nice about it. It’s like all these feelings just kind of came out all at once.”  
  
“See, this is what happens when you bottle up your emotions.” Alex says shaking her head at the girl. “Well, what did she do?” Alex scoots back on the bed, crossing her legs beneath her.  
  
“She just sat there and listened. Then she put her arm around me and let me kind of crumble. She told me how I needed someone good to me and just kinda cheered me up. It was really sweet.” Tobin smirks as she reminisces about the previous exchange.  
  
“No, not about the gushy stuff, I mean, how did she react when you kissed her?” Alex says crudely.  
  
“Oh. Well, I think it was ok. It only lasted a second. It was just like, a peck. I was really embarrassed and I was apologizing over and over like an idiot. She just kind of brushed it off. Said it wasn’t a big deal. She let me stay and watch a movie with her, so it must not have bothered her that much.” Tobin replies, trying to understand the girl’s actions as she reports them to Alex.  
  
Alex laughs incredulously. “Tobin, Tobin. What a smoothy.” Alex says sarcastically  
  
“Shut up” Tobin says into her hands.  
  
“Well, you know what they say, the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.” Alex teases.  
  
Tobin throws a pillow at Alex. “God would you shut up?! She was just being nice ok? I don’t even think she’s into girls anyway.”  
  
“I don’t know Tobs…I guess time will tell.” Alex says with a coy smile.  
  
The girls nestle into their beds after taking turns in the bathroom to wind down for the night. Tobin falls asleep easily, her body still radiating from her kiss with Christen just hours before. Although she had fallen asleep easily, her mind pulls her suddenly from her deep sleep.  
  
Tobin's awoken by racing thoughts. Her mind swirls with anxiety and her stomach churns with misplaced adrenaline. She knows the only way to subdue it is to just take it head on and finally finish what she started. After tossing in her bed trying to work up the courage to do it, Tobin finally sits up and grabs her phone charging on the night stand next to her bed. She can see a sleeping Alex in the bed beside her, a sliver of light streaking in from a streetlight outside. She smiles, appreciative of her friend's unwavering support throughout the last few days. Tobin sneaks through the door shutting it as quietly as she can, and walks down the hallway of the hotel to the alcove where the elevators are. She looks down at her phone, the numbers lighting up 3:34am. She swipes her finger across the phone and clicks through her contacts until she lands on Shirley's. Tobin takes a deep breath to steady herself, determined that this will be the last phone call she'll make. Tobin presses the call button and brings the phone up to her ear, nervously anticipating the sound of Shirley's voice in the other end.  
  
"Hi Tobin, how's camp?" Shirley says with a bite to her voice  
  
"Fine." Tobin says dismissively, eager to get to the point of the call. "Listen, before I say anything else, I want you to know that I care about you ok? Which is why this is so hard to say--but I wasn't lying when I told you that I can't be with you anymore. I know it's not what you want, but it's what I want-- and what I need right now. I need to be here, with my team."  
  
There's a long pause. Tobin waits patiently for a response. "Fuck you." Shirley spits out.

  
Tobin shouldn't be shocked at her reaction, but the words still sting as they cut through her. She wasn't lying when she said she still cared for Shirley. "You know what Tobin, fine. Go 'be with your team' or whatever. Go fuck yourself, better yet, go fuck your teammates since I know that's what you want to do anyway." Shirley says, voice dripping with spite. There are no tears this time. Shirley knows it's over, but she wants one last rebuttal before throwing in the towel. If she's going down, she's going down in flames.  
  
She continues her anger fueled rant, "I saw those pictures of you and your team at the bar. You had your hands all over that dark haired girl. Don't think I didn't notice that look you had. I used to see that look all the time before you went and fucked things up."  
  
Tobin, suddenly on her heels, retorts defensively. "I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"Oh come on. You were practically undressing her with your eyes. You would have fucked her right there if there wasn't a camera around."  
  
Tobin swallows hard. She's not wrong, Tobin knows what picture she's talking about. A fan posted it a few days ago, but she didn't think it looked too incriminating, at least not the the untrained eye. But Shirley knew her, the subtle tension with Christen wasn't lost on Shirley.  
  
Tobin realizes she's been silent too long when she hears a chuckle at the other end. "Oh my god it's actually true. You really did fuck her. You fucking cheated on me." Shirley says in disbelief.  
  
"No--it's not like that. I haven't--we didn't--it was just a kiss." Tobin trips over her words and immediately feels the pangs of guilt in her stomach. She realizes in that moment that she had cheated. If not with the kiss, with her thoughts. Even before the kiss, before the initial call to Shirley, Tobin knew she was thinking things she shouldn't have about Christen the minute she laid eyes on her in the hotel room the first day of camp. She imagined what it would feel like to kiss Christen, pictured what she would look like naked wrapped in the sheets of her bed, let her hand glide over her body in the shower, pretending it was Christen's. She doesn't correct Shirley, and maybe it's for the best that Shirley has something to hate her for to make the loss more bearable.  
  
Tobin's stomach drops. "I'm sorry Shirley. I didn't want it to happen this way. I hope--maybe we can be friends again someday." Tobin says, feeling deflated.  
  
"I never want to fucking see you again. Goodbye Tobin. Thanks for fucking nothing." Shirley's tone hits Tobin straight in the gut as the line goes dead.  
  
Tobin drops the phone and goes to sit in a chair situated between the elevators. The chair is clearly there just for show, but Tobin falls into it and wraps her legs up into herself, trying to make herself comfortable. She doesn't cry, her tears ran dry long ago. Her mind wanders as she closes her eyes and exhales a deep breath. Tobin imagined this moment so many times, thinking that she'd finally feel a sense of relief once it was over. But she doesn't feel relieved. She feels sympathy for Shirley, knowing things didn't end quite the way she'd intended, but most of all she feels guilt, for her thoughts about Christen. And the kiss. Though she still has strong feelings for Christen, guilt permeates every thought of the girl. How will she ever face Christen, knowing she was part of the reason for her new found state of distress. Her eyes droop and she looks to her phone to check the time. The sun has yet to rise, so she pads back to her room and slips in quietly so as not to disturb Alex. She lays herself in bed and wraps the comforter around her, letting thoughts of a new beginning usher her into a few more hours of sleep.


	7. Chapter 4: Christen's POV

The next day is...awkward. Tobin still greats her with coffee at breakfast, but instead of their easy conversation, forced questions and long pauses are shared between them. It's as if they're strangers again, back at square one. On the field, their chemistry is completely off. Christen makes a cutting run inside and Tobin passes out wide. They almost collide on several overlapping runs. They couldn't connect a pass to each other if they were standing five feet from one another. The coaches are baffled as to why such a promising midfeilder-striker combo had suddenly gone to shit. "Would you at least look at each other when you're passing for Christ's sake?!" one of the coaches yells in their direction.

By the time practice ends, both of them feel terrible. Christen shakes her head as she thinks about all the missed tackles, failed scoring opportunities, and just generally horrid day of play she'd had.

"You too?" Tobin says as she comes up to walk next to Christen.

"Yeah, I don't know what was going on today. I guess both of us had kinda off days." Christen says, climbing onto the bus to go back to the hotel.

They find two open seats and sit down next to each other, watching their team mates make their way down the isle to fill the remaining seats. They sit in silence a few minutes.

Tobin breaks the silence. "I'm sorry if last night totally ruined practice today."

Christen gulps and looks around to see if anyone else was privy to their somewhat private conversation,"Uh, I don't know. people have off days you know. Doesn't necessarily mean anything." Christen offers in an attempt to avoid the awkward topic

"Still, I don't want our relationship off the field to mess with what we do on the field." Tobin's face was serious, but her lips form the hint of a smile.

Christen nods her head in agreement, still a little embarrassed by how openly Tobin is talking about this. "Yeah, I get that. So what do you propose we do? I sure as hell can't expect to get another call up if I play like that again." Christen teases.

Tobin laughs at Christen's self-deprecating joke. "Well, I guess we should make sure our chemistry off the field is good so it translates to the pitch. Otherwise, it's like playing with a stranger."

Christen nods again. Silence falls over them again as they think of ways to create "chemistry" between them. Christen can think of a few...

"I got it" Tobin spurts out "Why don't we have like a friend night were we spend some time just the two of us, you know, to get reacquainted with each other and stuff. Maybe we could sneak out and go somewhere to get away from everyone."

Christen smiles at Tobin's plan. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Dope. I'll come by your room after dinner then" Tobin rises to exit the bus and looks over her shoulder at Christen as she's herded off the bus with her team mates.

Christen barely touches her dinner, too distracted by the prospect of spending time alone with Tobin. She can't help but think how much their "friend night" resembles a date. Christen tries to shake the thought but can't quite help imagining them holding hands walking down the streets of Florida. Tobin opening the door to a candy shop where they sneak each other jelly beans from the large bins. Christen smiles to herself at the daydream and wonders what Tobin actually has planned for them

*****  
After dinner, Christen takes some time to prepare for the night. She puts on make-up, then decides against it, not wanting to look like she's trying too hard. She ends up compromising and putting on a little mascara just to accentuate her eyes. She wears a casual t-shirt and some yoga pants and stands in front of the mirror to give herself the once over.

"Oo la la Press. Going somewhere?" Kelley asks gesturing to her outfit.

"No not really. Tobin wanted to go somewhere tonight to work on our 'chemistry' for practice."

"So like, what, she's taking you on a date? I thought that was a no go." Kelley looks confused.

"No it's not like a date. After last night, we both had a bad practice today and I think she just wants to hang out so things aren't awkward you know?"

"Sounds kinda like a date." Kelley says curtly.

"It's not a date" Christen replies in a sing-songy voice

"Well where is Tobin taking you on this 'non-date?'"

"I don't really know. She just said she'd come get me after dinner"

Just then, there's a knock on the door. Christen goes to open the door and finds Tobin in a snapback, tshirt, jeans, and backpack, carrying a small bunch of flowers in her hand. "Uh, these are for you. I went on a walk and picked some on my way. I figured you might want them for your room and you could put them in a glass of water or something" Tobin gives a side smile and extends her arm to offer the flowers to Christen.

Christen hears Kelley guffaw in the background of the room, having heard the rambling Tobin. Christen shoots Kelley a death glare and turns back to take the flowers from Tobin. "That was very thoughtful of you. I'll put them in a cup of water next to my bed. Thanks." Christen smiles

Tobin puts her hand behind her neck and shifts her weight. "So you ready to go?"

"Yeah hold on, let me put these up." Christen rushes to her bedside to grab a glass and places the flowers inside.

As she turns to walk back toward the door, Kelly mutters, "Have fun on your 'non-date'". Christen slaps the girl in response and joins Tobin in the hallway.

"So where are we sneaking off to tonight?" Christen asks as the two make their way out of the hotel.

"Well, when I was walking around earlier I stumbled on this park, so I figured we could go walk around over there and just kinda hang out for a bit."

"Sure, that sounds great. Lead the way."

They walk a good ten minutes before reaching their destination. Conversation flows easier than it had this morning, which is encouraging for both girls. Things start feeling less awkward and Christen relaxes a little bit. The air is humid, but cool and the stars are just starting to come out as they make it to the park. Tobin leads them to a spot in the grass under a tree and pulls her backpack across her chest to unzip it. She digs out a hotel towel and lays it on the grass for the two to sit on.

"Look at you girl scout. You came prepared!" Christen joked. They sit and Tobin continues to rifle through her backpack.

With her head halfway in her bag, Tobin responds, "That's not the only thing I came prepared with." Tobin pulls out several travel size bottles of whiskey and holds them up to her grinning face.

"Where did you get those?" Christen laughs

"Well, usually the hotel mini bar only stocks one bottle of whiskey per fridge, so I had to jack a couple from the other girls' room. I'm sure they won't mind." Tobin hands one over to Christen and they each crack one open. "Cheers! To new friends and a kick ass starting duo."

Christen clinks her plastic bottle gently with Tobin and maintains eye contact as she drinks, remembering Tobin's advice at their first breakfast.

"This will be the second time you've bought me whiskey. I owe you one Heath." Christin says feeling a satisfying burn as the liquid makes it into her stomach.

"Why don't we call it even. You put up with my bullshit last night so think of this as payment for that." Tobin takes another long sip.

"Speaking of, how are things with that" Christen asks

Tobin licks traces of whiskey from her lips and looks down, "After last night, I had to call her. I couldn't sleep another night knowing the inevitable was coming, so I broke it off with her as soon as I left your room."

Christen cringes. "How'd she take it?"

"About as well as I was expecting." Tobin says with a sarcastic laugh. "I think that's why I'd been putting it off so long. I knew it would be a big ordeal. She yelled, called me a bitch, accused me of cheating on her, which I mean, technically I kind of did." Tobin looks down playing with the plastic top of her bottle.

"I don't know if I would call it cheating" Christen offers. "I mean, it was such a short kiss and it's not like you were emotionally invested in it."

Tobin takes in a breath to speak, but stops the words from coming out by raising the whiskey to her lips instead.

Silence falls over them and the sounds of insects chirping fills the void. It would be a peaceful kind of quiet if Tobin's sudden reticence wasn't so disconcerting to Christen. Did that kiss mean something to her? Christen focuses on Tobin hoping if she stares long enough, her gaze will bore a hole into her mind so she can see what the other girl is thinking.

Tobin finishes off her bottle and throws it back in the backpack. "You want another?" She says as she reaches her arm back into the bag.

Christen looks at her barely touched bottle "I think I'm good for now."

Tobin nods her head and cracks open another bottle to take a swig. Christen too takes a long gulp, trying to find some relief from the tension between them.

"I know, let's play a game." Christen offers cheerfully to change the subject

"What did you have in mind?" Tobin asks

Christen smiles. "How about never have I ever"

"I don't think I've ever played that before." Tobin says with a confused look on her face.

"Oh it's really simple. You just have to say something you've never done but if the other person has done that thing, they have to take a drink."

"Ok this sounds like it could be dangerous, but I did say I wanted to get to know you better." Tobin laughs

"Right, I'll start" Christen thinks for a moment humming to herself. "Never have I ever...been skinny dipping"

Tobin takes a quick drink causing Christen to raise an eyebrow toward her. "It was on the beach in college. I got dared."

Christen laughs, "ok your turn"

Tobin lifts her hat and runs her fingers through her hair before putting it back on her head backward, "Never have I ever been the leading scorer at my college." Tobin grins deviously

"Ok that's not fair, you knew I'd have to drink for that one." Christen protests

"Strategy my friend. Don't hate the player, hate the game." Tobin says arrogantly

"Fine, two can play at this. Never have I ever been called into camp before." Christen retorts

Tobin gives her a glare and takes a sip. "Alright Press, lets see how heartless you really are. Never have I ever told someone I loved them when I didn't mean it."

Christen frowns a little at this and takes a drink.

"Damn, heart breaker. What happened." Tobin asked

Christen sighs, not exactly wanting to get into it, but knowing that if Tobin had opened herself up, it was Christen's turn to do the same. "I dated this guy in high school. He was really sweet and I did love him, just not the way he wanted me to. It was really hard because I lost a friend when I finally told him how I felt."

"Man, I'm sorry. Have you talked to him since?" Tobin asks gently

"We're friends on facebook now so I see little snippets of his life, but no, we don't really talk anymore. It's ok though. It wasn't meant to be you know. Casualties happen when you have a romantic relationship like that."

Tobin bobs her head up and down, contemplating Christen's comments. "I don't think my ex and I will be friends."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. I think we dated out of convenience more than anything. It was my first relationship with a girl and I think I just liked the thrill of this new thing I'd never experienced before. I probably would have dated any girl that showed interest in me back then. I was so desperate to have a relationship. Now that I think about it, I don't even think we were all that compatible to begin with." Tobin swirls the liquid in her half empty bottle.

"Well now that you know what you don't want in a relationship, you kind of have an idea of what you do want." Christen offers positively.

"Yeah I guess you're right. I think next time I'll date someone who actually lives in this country." Tobin smiles to herself

Christen chuckles, "That's a good start. What else?"

Tobin thinks, considering her words, "Someone who's more carefree. She was always so controlling." Tobin pauses but Christen waits, knowing there is more to be said. "Someone who understands how important soccer is to me. Someone who can lay around the house with me all day and be lazy. Someone who'll go on adventures with me. Someone who's kind and compassionate and really listens to me when I talk and cares about what I have to say." Tobin stops. Brown eyes meet green and Christen sees Tobin's eyes start to gloss over with the start of tears. Tobin swallows hard and holds them back, not allowing a single one to fall from her eyes. She gives Christen a weak smile and looks away, hiding her face from Christen.

Christen puts a hand on Tobin's knee in an attempt to console the girl, "I'm sure you'll find her. You deserve to have your dream girl. She's out there, don't worry. If it makes you feel any better, I'm still looking for my dream girl too. We're in this together." Christen smiles and tilts her head down to get Tobin's gaze and bring her eyes back up from the ground.

Tobin sniffles a little and lets out a short laugh, "Christen Press, I didn't know you were a lesbian."

Christen finishes off the last of the whiskey from her bottle, "That my friend, is a story for another day. Now come on, we need to head back before it gets too late and we get too drunk."

*******

Back at the hotel Tobin drops Christen off at her room. Tobin opens her arms and Christen moves into her body, resting her chin on Tobin's shoulder "Thanks for hanging out with me tonight" Tobin says into Christen's shoulder.

"Of course. We should do it again. I had a lot of fun." Christen smiled

With Tobin's arms wrapped tightly around Christen's waist and Christen's thumbs subconsciously rubbing Tobin's back, the two stand in their embrace a few moments. Tobin takes a deep breath and squeezes Christen closer before releasing her grip and stepping away. Christen immediately misses Tobin's arms around her and goose bumps form on her skin. "I'll see you in the morning Press. Goodnight" Tobin spins around in the direction of her room as Christen watches her amble down the hall. Christen takes in a deep breath and goes to open the door to her room. As she pushes the door open, it hits something and she hears muffled cursing. She opens the door fully to find Kelley clutching her eye in the entryway. "What the hell Kelley. What are you doing?"

Kelley rubs her eye gently. " I heard you guys in the hallway and I wanted to see what was going on. So shoot me."

Christen chuckles. "That's what you get for spying on us." Christen walks farther into the room and sits on her bed to take off her shoes.

"So, how'd it go Casanova?"

"It was good. We went to a park and just kinda talked and got to know each other better."

"I'll bet you got to know each other better." Kelley wiggles her eyebrows

Christen rolls her eyes "Kelley, it wasn't like that."

Kelley jumps on her bed and whines, "Aw come on, it's never like that. When are we getting to the good stuff. I need some action Press."

"Well you'll just have to wait. After talking tonight, it seems like Tobin's going to need some time to get over the break up. I'm not rushing her into anything she's not ready for. We'll both just have to wait until she's ready."

Kelley groans in disappointment. "Why do you have to be so damn chivalrous Press. This is the most interesting thing to happen in camp since Syd snuck her dog into the hotel with her."

Christen laughs. "I'm so glad to be the source of your entertainment." Christen says sarcastically.


	8. Chapter 4: Tobin's POV

The next day was awkward. At breakfast, Tobin continued her scheduled coffee delivery, and forced herself to engage with Christen in an attempt to desensitize herself from the pangs in her stomach caused by the realization from the night before. Christen went along and helped Tobin trudge through small talk and long pauses. On the field, Tobin had hoped that the ball at her feet would steady her and ease her mind, but the tension transferred to the pitch as well. Tobin struggled to connect passes to Christen, and her crosses sailed over the girl in front of goal. The coaches took notice and called them out on their lack of communication. With every bad touch, Tobin sank lower and lower until the whistle blew to end practice.  
  
On their way to the bus, Tobin sees Christen walking back, shoulders slumped. Tobin's heart swells and she jogs up to the girl to attempt to lift her spirits.  
  
"You too?" Tobin offers  
  
"Yeah, I just wasn’t really feeling it today. I guess we both kinda had an off day.” Christen sighs, shoulders hunched forward as she ascends into the bus. Tobin follows close behind and sits in the open seat next to her. Tobin bites the inside of her cheek, still unsure how to act or what to say to Christen.

Finally, Tobin breaks the silence between them. “I’m sorry if last night ruined practice today.” Her vague and simple apology carries a weight and depth to it. Tobin knows this based on the reaction from Christen.  
  
She swallows hard, looking a little caught off guard by Tobin’s statement. “I mean, I don’t know, people have off days sometimes. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”  
  
Tobin senses that Christen doesn’t want to make a big deal of it, but Tobin doesn’t want to just brush it aside, so she continues. “Still, I don’t want our relationship off the field to mess with what we do on the field you know?” Tobin smiles slightly, trying to minimize the serious undercurrents of their talk.  
  
Christen smiles back in return. “So what do you propose we do? I can’t play like that again and expect to be on the team.”  
  
Tobin laughs at Christen’s humility and thinks out loud. “Well, I guess we need to figure out how to make our chemistry off the field good so it translates to the pitch. Otherwise, it’s like playing with a stranger.”  
  
There’s a lull between them as Tobin searches her brain for solutions that don’t involve touching or looking at each other without clothes on. Finally, a light goes off. “I got it! Why don’t we have a friend night were we spend some time just the two of us to, you know, get more comfortable with each other. Maybe we can sneak out tonight and find somewhere to get away from everyone.”  
  
Tobin watches as a toothy grin forms on Christen’s lips. Tobin could get used to making Christen smile like that. “Yeah I’d like that.” Christen says enthusiastically.  
  
“Dope. I’ll swing by your room after dinner.” The bus lurches to a stop and Tobin rises from her seat. She’s quickly shuffled down the isle amongst her teammates who filter out of the bus like a school of fish, glancing over her shoulder to see Christen once more.  
  
  
  
*******  
  
  
Tobin knows she has to do something special for Christen tonight after the crazy shit she had to put up with last night. Tobin wants nothing more than to make amends and get over the awkward phase they've fallen into. Unable to think in the confines of her hotel room, Tobin grabs her key and heads out of the hotel to get some fresh air. She walks south, following the sidewalk down a few blocks, swerving between pedestrians until she reaches a small park. Tobin smiles at the quaint green space in the middle of the city and follows a path that curves around the area. The trail is well maintained and lined with wild flowers which Tobin absentmindedly picks as she goes along. There are large trees sprinkled amongst the expanses of grass and Tobin takes note of how nice it is to be surrounded by nature finally. Suddenly, the idea clicks in her head; this is where she'd take Christen tonight. Excited by the thought, Tobin spins around on her heel to rush back to the hotel, knowing that she only has a little while to prepare for their excursion. She almost drops the cluster of flowers in her fist, but on second thought, she thinks Christen might like them, even if flowers are kind of cheesy.  
  
After a brisk walk back to the hotel, another lightbulb goes off in her head. What makes awkward situations less awkward? Alcohol. Knowing that the mini fridge in her room is in short supply, Tobin calls in a few favors to get a decent supply of the single serving bottles. She knocks on doors begging and bartering with her teammates to get a few extra bottles of whiskey for the night's festivities. Pinoe begrudgingly parts with hers, demanding laundry duties for a week. Syd gladly trades her whiskey for vodka, stating she hasn't touched the stuff since a bad night in Cabo. In Kling's room, Tobin doesn't even ask, and sneaks into the fridge while Kling is distracted, rambling about a good bakery nearby. Six bottles later, Tobin's stomach rumbles as she realizes she didn't get dinner. She looks at her watch and sees that dinner is over anyway. She'll just have to get a big breakfast tomorrow. Tobin rushes back to her room to fix her hair and prepare for the night. She crams a towel and the tiny bottles into her backpack before taking one last look in the mirror. She knows it's not supposed to be a date, but it sure feels like it. She grabs the slightly wilted flowers she picked earlier, swings her backpack over her shoulder, and heads to Christen's room.  
  
Tobin taps on Christen's door and waits nervously, suddenly feeling self-conscious about the pitiful looking flowers in her hand. The door swings open and Christen smiles widely upon seeing Tobin. Realizing she hasn't said anything yet, Tobin rambles out, "Hi! Here uh, I brought you these. I went on a walk earlier and they were there so I just picked them. I thought you might like them or you could put them in a cup of water or something." She thrusts the flowers toward Christen. Tobin hears Kelley scoff in the background.  
  
Christen shoots a look toward Kelley, but turns back and smiles gratefully, taking the flowers. "Thanks Tobin, they're great. Let me just put them in a cup." Christen disappears into her room briefly and reappears empty handed, ready to go.   
  
"So where are we sneaking off to tonight?" Christen asks as the two make their way out of the hotel.  
  
Tobin smiles at the girl's enthusiasm. "Well, when I was walking around earlier I found this park, so I thought we could go there and just hang out for a bit."  
  
"Sure, that sounds great. Lead the way."  
  
Tobin anxiously leads them through the route she'd plotted earlier. They talk about practice and annoying roommate habits. The conversation flows somewhat more smoothly than it had that morning and it puts Tobin more at ease. After a quick walk, they reach the park and Tobin leads them to a secluded spot under a tree just off the path. She whips out the towel and lays it on the ground for the girl's to sit on.  
  
"Look at you girl scout. You came prepared!" Christen jokes. Tobin swings her backpack across her chest as they sit and rifles through her bag, collecting the goodies she collected earlier.  
  
With her head still halfway inside the backpack, Tobin responds, "That's not the only thing I came prepared with." Tobin pulls out several travel size bottles of whiskey and holds them up grinning, hoping Christen will be pleased.  
  
"Where did you get those?" Christen laughs.  
  
Tobin goes on to explain, "Well, usually the hotel mini bar only stocks one bottle of whiskey per fridge, so I had to barter for a couple from the other girls. I'm sure they won't mind." Tobin hands one over to Christen and they each crack one open. "Cheers! To new friends and a kick ass starting duo."   
  
They clink bottles and maintain eye contact as they take the first stinging sips. Tobin sees Christen smiling with her lips still pressed to the bottle.   
  
"This will be the second time you've bought me whiskey. I owe you one Heath." Christen says as she lowers the bottle.   
  
"We'll call it even. You put up with my bullshit last night so think of this as repayment." Tobin takes another sip, trying to mask her reddening cheeks.  
  
"Speaking of, how are things with that" Christen asks   
  
Caught off guard, Tobin dribbles a little whiskey on her chin, not expecting the directness of Christen's question. She tries her best to lap up the errant whiskey around her mouth before it makes a mess. "After last night, I had to call her. I couldn't sleep another night knowing the inevitable was coming, so I broke it off with her for good once I left your room."  
  
Christen visibly cringes. "How'd she take it?"   
  
"About as well as I was expecting." Tobin says with a sarcastic laugh, hoping to mask the residual resentment in her voice. "I think that's why I'd been putting it off. I knew it would be a production. She bitched me out and accused me of cheating on her, which I guess considering what happened, technically I kind of did." Tobin's eyes glaze over and she looks down at the amber liquid swirling in her bottle, feeling deflated  
  
"I don't know if I would call it cheating" Christen says with a tinge of optimism. "I mean, it was just a peck and it's not like you were emotionally invested in it."   
  
Tobin opens her mouth to speak, but realizes her words would only betray her at this point. If only Christen knew the attachment she felt for the girl. Tobin knows she can't say anything without completely revealing herself to Christen, so she retracts and takes a long swig of whiskey instead to occupy her lips.   
  
Christen looks at Tobin questioningly for several moments. Uncomfortable with the silence, Tobin tilts her head back and finishes off the contents of her bottle, breathing out the burning in her throat. She reaches in her backpack to pull out another and asks Christen as an afterthought "Want another one?" Tobin realizes Christen has barely touched hers, and criticizes herself for drinking too quickly, especially on an empty stomach.   
  
Christen denies another drink, still swirling the contents around mindlessly.  
  
After another long pause, Christen perks up. "I know, let's play a game."  
  
"What did you have in mind?" Tobin asks, thankful for the distraction.  
  
Christen smiles. "How about never have I ever"   
  
"I don't think I've played that before." Tobin wonders. She wasn't much of a party goer in college. Since then, she's realized a little too late that learning social games like this were indeed just as much a part of the learning experience as the classroom.   
  
Tobin watches as Christen's expression shifts, looking giddy. "Oh it's really simple. You just have to say something you've never done but if the other person has done that thing, they have to take a drink."  
  
"Sounds like it has the potential to be dangerous, but I did say I wanted to get to know you better." Tobin laughs  
  
Christen chuckles a little and clears her throat. "Ok, I'll start" Tobin smiles at the way Christen hums to herself as she thinks, twisting her face in concentration. "Never have I ever...been skinny dipping"   
  
Tobin laughs, remembering a beach trip years ago with her college team. She takes a quick drink before explaining. "It was on the beach in college. I got dared."  
  
Christen raises an eyebrow suggestively and laughs, "ok your turn"  
  
Tobin thinks to herself, adjusting her hat as if to give her brain room to think. A devious grin form on her lips as she thinks of the perfect response. "Never have I ever been the leading scorer at my college."   
  
Christen pouts and protests "Ok, so not fair, you knew I'd have to drink for that one."   
  
"Strategy my friend. Don't hate the player, hate the game." Tobin says as she crosses her arms in front of her chest, smiling wickedly.   
  
Christen takes a drink and swallows down the fiery liquid. "Alright, two can play at this. Never have I ever been called into camp before." Christen retorts  
  
Tobin shoots her a playful glare and takes a sip, knowing she would be paid back for her tricky strategy. Tobin starts to feel lightheaded from whiskey and a goofy grin plasters to her face. She runs her hands together before delivering her next response. "Alright Press, lets see how heartless you really are. Never have I ever told someone I loved them when I didn't mean it."  
  
Christen's smile fades as she takes a drink. Tobin cringes, not meaning to cause such a shift in her demeanor.   
  
"Damn, heart breaker. What happened." Tobin asks in an attempt to keep the mood light.   
  
Christen sighs and looks down at the ground, pulling pieces of grass between her fingertips. "I dated this guy in high school. He was nice guy and I really did love him, but not the way he wanted me to. It felt like I lost one of my closest friends when I finally told him how I actually felt. It was a really hard time."  
  
Tobin softens her voice, concerned she's upset Christen. "Man, I'm sorry. Have you talked to him since?" Tobin asks gently  
  
Christen’s eyes "We're friends on facebook so I see bits and pieces of his life, but no, we don't really talk anymore. It's ok, it just wasn't meant to be you know. Things happen when you have a romantic relationship like that."  
  
Tobin nods, understanding Christen’s sentiment completely. Sullen, Tobin responds. "I don't think my ex and I will be friends."  
  
"Why’s that?" Christen asks genuinely.  
  
"I don't know, I think we dated out of convenience more than anything. She was my first relationship with a girl. In retrospect, I think I just liked the attention she gave me because it was new and exciting. I probably would have dated any girl that showed interest in me back then. I was so desperate to be with someone.” Tobin chuckles sarcastically. “Now that I think about it, I don't even think we were all that compatible to begin with." As Tobin finishes her thought, she realizes this is the first time she’s verbalized these feelings. It’s not that she’s never considered this before, but saying it aloud puts weight behind the words. She looks pensively at the remaining liquid in her bottle, swirling it about.  
  
"Well now that you know what you don't want in a relationship, you kind of have an idea of what you do want." Christen offers positively.  
  
Tobin can’t help but smile at Christen’s ability to find the silver lining. "Yeah I guess you're right. I think next time I'll date someone who actually lives in this country." Tobin jokes.  
  
Christen chuckles, "Yeah I think that’s a good start. What else?"  
  
After all this time of dwelling on what bothered her about her relationship, Tobin hadn’t considered what she actually did want in a relationship. She hums to herself, thinking intently. "Someone who's more open and carefree. She always had to have control of things." There’s a beat, but suddenly a stream of consciousness pours out of her. "Someone who understands how important soccer is to me. Someone who can be lazy with me and lay around the house all day. Someone who will be adventurous with me. Someone who's kind and compassionate and really listens to me when I talk and cares about what I have to say." Tobin stops, realizing she’s effectively describing the beautiful girl before her. She feels the beginning of tears start to wet her eyes, but swallows them back and looks away, hoping Christen hasn’t noticed her tearfulness. Tobin’s never been so openly vulnerable with someone, but there’s something so comforting in Christen’s eyes. There’s no judgment, no manipulation, no predation. She’s just present in the moment with Tobin. That’s all it takes.  
  
Tobin feels a soft hand rest on her knee and squeeze lightly, grabbing back Tobin’s attention. Christen speaks. "You'll find her. You deserve to have your dream girl. She's out there somewhere waiting for you. If it makes you feel any better, I'm still looking for my dream girl too, so we're kinda in this together." Tobin smiles, looking up from the ground to meet inviting green eyes.  
  
"Christen Press, I didn't know you were a lesbian." Tobin lets out a short nervous laugh at this realization. Her stomach turns and fills with nerves. Her suspicions were suddenly confirmed, but that still doesn’t tell Tobin if she even has a chance with the dark haired girl. She doesn’t let herself get too excited and tries to hide the wide grin threatening to overtake her lips.  
  
Christen gives Tobin a satisfied smirk and tilts her head back to drain the contents of the bottle in her hand "That my friend, is a story for another day.” Christen says with a wink. She stands up and offers her hand to Tobin to help her up. “Come on Tobs, we need to head back before it gets too late and we get too drunk."  
  
Tobin floats back to the hotel walking next to Christen. Though she doesn’t know how Christen may feel about her, Tobin at least knows that there’s a chance now, and that glimmer of hope trails her all the way to Christen’s hotel room door. They turn to face each other and Christen opens her arms, inviting Tobin into an embrace. Tobin steps in, wrapping her arms around Christen’s waist, burrowing her face into Christen’s shoulder, breathing her in deeply.  
  
“Thanks for coming out with me tonight.” Tobin’s says, voice muffled by the fabric of Christen’s shirt.  
  
“Of course. I had a lot of fun with you. We should do it again.” Christen quietly hums in Tobin’s ear.  
  
A shiver goes down Tobin’s back, feeling Christen’s fingers skimming against the skin of her shoulder. Tobin squeezes Christen in tighter before begrudgingly releasing the girl, worrying their embrace was venturing into the ‘more than friends zone’. Tobin takes a step back and rubs the back of her neck with her hand. “Night Press, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Tobin spins around and walks toward her room before the pink in her cheeks becomes noticeable in the dim light of the hallway.   
  
When she gets to her room, she finds Alex on her laptop with headphones in, presumably skyping with her boyfriend. Alex gives her a wave and smile, acknowledging Tobin’s presence, before becoming engrossed in the glowing screen again. Alex picks up the laptop and moves from her bed, whispering as she passes by Tobin, “Sorry, I’ll go outside. Don’t wait up.”  
  
Secretly, Tobin is relieved her roommate is so distracted. She didn’t feel like fielding questions about her excursion with Christen tonight. Instead, Tobin stretches and sits on her bed, removing her clothing to change into pajamas. She brushes her teeth, but doesn’t bother showering, knowing she’ll be gross from practice in nine hours anyway. Instead, Tobin flicks off the lights and snuggles under the thick comforter.

Her mind replays the previous hours and wanders to thoughts of Christen. Until this point, she hadn’t allowed herself to truly acknowledge her attraction to the girl. Tobin can’t deny the visceral reaction she has to the girl on a truly instinctual and primal level. Her beautifully sculpted body, her perfectly rounded ass, her glowing green eyes, the way she brings her lip between her teeth when she concentrates, the way she runs her finger along her jaw line as she listens, or the eye contact that makes you think there’s no one else in the world she’d rather be with. Tobin’s hand snakes it’s way to the waistband of her shorts, playing with the elastic and the skin beneath. Tobin pictures the way Christen’s practice kit clings to her body as it becomes drenched with sweat. How she peels her shirt from her torso in the locker room and runs her hand through her ponytail, standing in her compression shorts and bra. Tobin’s fingers dive beneath her underwear to feel the slick pool collecting between her legs. She shudders as her fingers trace through her folds, feeling all of herself. Her breathing increases and her eyes flutter closed. Tobin’s mind wanders and she thinks what her body would feel like pressed up against Christen’s in the shower of the locker room, wet and hot from the steam. How their breasts would mold together as hard nipples graze against one another. Christen’s lips would slot between her own as she runs her tongue along Tobin’s bottom lips, begging to enter he mouth. Their tongues would dance together, taking turns exploring each other.

Tobin’s fingers swirl around her clit slowly at first, teasing herself just enough to build up some tension. Unsatisfied, she shoves her other hand beneath her underwear, needing something more to create friction, and she grinds her hips into herself. Tobin feels her muscles tense as the sensation begins to overwhelm her. Tobin’s mind completely immerses into the fantasy as she slots a finger inside of herself, riding one hand while the other circles her clit at a desperate pace. Soft whimpers escape Tobin’s lips as she imagines replacing her own hands with Christen’s. Christen’s hands making her feel this elation and satisfaction. She thinks of Christen riding on top of her rocking back and fourth against her center. How Christen would sound moaning at the contact and equal satisfaction as their centers rub together in a frantic rhythm. Tobin’s back arches as every tensed muscle in her body releases in pleasure. Relief cascades over her as she feels her walls contract against her finger. She rides out the climax as her breathing returns to normal. She removes her hands from beneath her shorts and lays in her bed, spent. A mist of sweat collects on her brow and chest. She listens for any sign of her roommate outside the door, but only hears the faint murmurs of strangers as they go in and out of their rooms. Tobin tosses the comforter off of her and rolls out of bed toward the bathroom, thinking she may need a shower now after all. It isn’t until she stands beneath the rushing water of the shower that she recognizes how deep she was into her attraction for Christen. Hoping that the water would wash away her shame at her inability to control herself, Tobin runs her hands over her face and lets out a deep breath. What are you doing? Get it together Heath


	9. Chapter 5: Christen's POV

At breakfast the next morning, Tobin delivers Christen her morning coffee and the two sit next to each other closely. They smile and nudge each other as they take turns teasing one another.

Kelley sits nearby watching this sickeningly sweet interaction unfold as she stuffs bites of banana into her mouth. Alex sets her plate next to Kelley and takes a seat. "What's going on with them." Alex asks while watching Tobin and Christen flick food at each other.

"They went on a 'non-date' last night and now they look like high schoolers who just realized what dating is" Kelley explains with a mouth full of food.

Alex scrunches her face "Ew"

"I know, they're so cute it's gross." Kelley says, swallowing her food

"So like, is this going to be a thing or what?" Alex asks taking her first bites of food

Kelley shrugs. "Beats me. Christen seems into it, but idk if Tobs is ready since she just broke up with her gf."

"Hmm" Alex hums, taking a sip of coffee. "Well they better be careful. I'm not losing games because these two can't get their shit together."

Kelley and Alex watch as Tobin smears yogurt across Christen's face and Christen gasps in mock anger, retaliating my shoving an ice cube down Tobin's shirt."

"Ugh yuck" Kelley and Alex groan together in disgust.

At practice, Tobin and Christen are on fire. They connect passes left and right, they move together seamlessly around the field, instinctively knowing where the other is going. They work together on multiple scoring drives as defenders are helpless to stop them. "I don't know what you two did between yesterday and today, but keep it up. You two look great together." One of the coaches says to them.

Once practice is over, the girls head to the field house. Tobin and Christen walk together discussing events from practice.

"No, but that through ball past Becky was seriously amazing. Set me up perfectly." Christen says enthusiastically

"Well when you megged Kling, I was like, so proud" Tobin beams.

They go to their individual lockers to peel off their sweat soaked garments and grab their shower supplies. Christen heads to the shower as Tobin digs through her locker looking for something.

"You should really organize that thing." Christen quips cutely as she walks past the brunet.

Christen finds an open shower and steps in, removing the remainder of her clothes while the water warms her aching muscles. Just as she turns to stick her hair under the shower head, the curtain is thrust open unexpectedly. Christen's eyes shoot open, completely caught off guard. She freezes as she meets the gaze of brown eyes. Tobin looks just as shocked as Christen. Her eyes widen and her face turns deep red at the sight of Christen. Thoroughly embarrassed and clearly panicked, Tobin shoves the curtain back as quickly as she can.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry I didn't think anyone was in there I wasn't paying attention I shouldn't have done that--sorry--sorry" Tobin rambles out in one breath.

Christen, also mildly embarrassed, replies as calmly as she can through the curtain. "It's ok, no big deal. It's not like you did it on purpose."

Christen hears Tobin's voice respond in the shower next to her. " No, definitely didn't mean to. I don't wanna see that. I mean, you look great. Not that I was looking. I mean I saw some stuff, but like just for a second. It was fine. You're fine. I mean like, you look good, like, normal. How a normal person should look, or like, better than normal. Above average."

Christen laughs a little at how flustered Tobin is. "Tobin, seriously it's no big deal. Hey, now you know me even better."

She hears a chuckle from the shower next door and hopes it serves to deescalate the situation. "Ok. Sorry. Won't happen again."

After a reaction like that Christen thinks maybe she would like it to happen again. She smiles at the thought of this and finishes her shower.

At the hotel, Christen packs a backpack with a beach towel and bottle of wine she snuck from a service cart down the hallway. She reasons that if someone has the money to buy a four course room service meal, they probably aren't going to miss the wine too much. While on the bus ride back from practice, Tobin and Christen decided to keep the tradition going and sneak out to their spot at the park again for "team mate bonding". This time, Christen offers to bring the supplies. She leaves Kelley in their room buried under the covers engrossed in a horror movie on tv, and walks down the hallway to Tobin and Alex's room. Just as she goes to knock on the door, it swings open and she's greeted by a surprised looking Alex.

"Jesus you scared me Press. I was just on my way to your room actually. Kelley sent me a 911 text. She's watching a scary movie alone isn't she."

Christen chuckles at how well Alex knows her friend, "Yeah. You better hurry, she didn't look like she's going to last much longer."

Alex looks Christen up and down and gives Christen a genuine smile. "You look nice. Enjoy your night". Alex squeezes past Christen and starts walking down the hall toward the terrified girl in Christen's room. Christen catches the door before it closes and steps into the room. She looks into the bathroom to find Tobin fiddling with her hair, trying to make it lay perfectly under her hat.

Christen leans against the doorway watching the girl for a moment more before breaking the silence. "Hey" she says softly

Tobin turns to look at her and a smile spreads across her face. "Hey you. I didn't even hear you come in"

"Yeah Alex let me in. She's going to rescue Kelley or something."

"Scary movie" Tobin says, not as a question but more as a comment, indicating this must be a regular occurrence.

Christen giggles at this realization. "Yeah"

"Typical." Tobin responds, putting the finishing touches on her hair/hat combo. She takes one final look in the mirror and looks at Christen, holding out her arms to present herself. "How do I look" Tobin asks grinning.

"Like a rebel about to sneak out." Christen laughs at this.

"Just what I was going for" teases Tobin.

"Alright rebel, let's get out of here." Christen motions toward the door and the two exit the room.

They make their way to the park and their spot under the tree. This time, Christen pulls out a towel and lays it on the ground before sitting down on it.

"Wait for it." Christen says as she digs through her backpack and reveals the bottle of wine she'd "borrowed" from earlier that day.

"Nice!" Tobin grabs the bottle from Christen's hands to inspect it more closely. "Do I wanna know how you got this?" She says still looking at the bottle.

"Probably not. I don't want you to be an accessory to theft if I'm caught by the law. Plausible deniability you know?" Christen jokes

She pulls out a wine key from her bag as well and hands it over to Tobin. "Will you do the honors?" Christen asks, bowing her head as Tobin takes it from her hand

"Of course madam" says Tobin, playing along. "So for this evening, we have a 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, product of California." She pops the cork out from the bottle and takes an exaggerated smell from the mouth of the bottle before pressing it to her lips and taking a sip. "Yes, subtle notes of tannins, plums, tobacco, and raspberry." Tobin hands the bottle back to a smiling Christen.

"Impressive, how do you know all that stuff" Christen asks quizzically

Tobin laughs, "I don't, I was just bullshitting you. I can barely tell the difference between a white and a red."

Christen laughs at this. "Well you're very convincing" she takes a sip from the bottle. "Sorry I didn't bring any glasses. I totally forgot. You ok sharing germs?"

"Yeah it's fine." Tobin says. "I've already seen you naked, so germ sharing seems like the next logical step."

Christen's face flushes slightly as she takes another swig. She changes the topic to avoid any further embarrassment. "Alright so what's the game tonight? I chose last time so it's your turn to chose tonight"

Tobin leans back on her arms concentrating. "Hmm. Have you ever played two truths and a lie? It's just like it sounds. You say two things that are true about yourself and make up one lie. If the other person can guess what the lie is, then you take a drink. If they get it wrong then they drink."

Christen chuckles. "What if I'm a terrible liar?"

Tobin smiles "Then you're going to be very drunk." Tobin takes a sip of wine. "Ok I'll go first. I grew up in New Jersey, I have three siblings, and my parents are divorced."

Christen contemplates her options before deciding on an answer. "You're parents are divorced, that's the lie."

Tobin takes a drink. "Yup, still together, still very much in love. I used to think it was gross how affectionate they are, but now I think it's cute." Tobin smiles to herself and wipes wine from her mouth with the back of her hand. "Ok your turn."

"Let's see. I don't have any tattoos, I've never smoked weed, and I'm a gold star." Christen cocks her eyebrow taunting Tobin to take a guess.

"Ok all really interesting options. Well from what I could see in the shower, I didn't notice any ink."

Christen interjects coyly "So I guess you did get a pretty good look then huh?" Christen sees Tobin's cheeks turn slightly pink at this joke.

"Well from what I could see anyway." She mutters self consciously. She continues her guess. "The other two are tricky. You grew up in California, so I feel like there's a really good chance that you've smoked, and you did admit last night that you were gay. Soooo..." She trails off weighing her options. "I'm gonna go with you've never smoked weed. That's the lie"

Christen takes the wine bottle from Tobin's hands and drinks. "Just to clarify, I've only done it once. This really hot girl I had a crush on who was on my team in high school wanted to try shotgunning, that thing where you take a hit and then blow the smoke into someone else's mouth all sexy like. How could I say no to basically kissing my crush!"

"Valid point." Says Tobin, looking slightly turned on by the image.

Christen clears her throat, "alright it's one to one. Your turn Heath."

Tobin shifts as she thinks of her set of truths and lie. "Ok the last one was a softball for you. This one will get you for sure. Ok so, my biggest fear is failure, I cheated on a final in college, and I still have an aol email account."

Christen smirks, thinking she has this one in the bag. "Well, I know that failure isn't an option for you, so that's a truth. Which means you might actually cheat on a test if you would fail otherwise, so I think that one's true too. I think the aol email account is the lie. That can't possibly be true." Christen reasons

Tobin smiles. "Take a drink".

Shocked, Christen raises the bottle to her lips and takes a long drink, starting to feel the effect of the alcohol. "If that's not the lie which, oh my god you cave woman, which one is?"

"Fear of failure. It is a fear of mine, but I think my biggest fear is being alone. It's kind of a new one" Tobin's demeanor sinks a little at this confession

Christen's eyebrows furrow sympathetically. "You know that'll never happen right? I'd never allow it." Christen says reaching out to squeeze Tobin's hand.

Tobin lets out a laugh and smiles weakly. "Yeah. Thanks" she says looking at Christen. "Ok I'm winning 2-1. See if you can stump me Press."

Christen locks her fingers together and stretches her arms out as if stretching for an athletic event. She feels less inhibited than before thanks to the mostly empty bottle in front of her, which might account for the bolder admissions she offers for this round of the game. "Ok let me see. One of my kinks is biting, I stole this wine from someone's room service cart, and I've never fallen for a team mate." Christen bites her lip in anticipation, unsure how Tobin will react to her comments.

Tobin's eyes are locked with Christen's. Her mouth hangs open slightly as she draws quick shallow breaths into her lungs. Tobin's eyes search Christen's for an answer, but Christen doesn't give her anything, forcing Tobin to make a move. Finally, Tobin breaks the silence with a hesitant answer. "Uh, your kink--biting--that's the lie."

Christen swallows hard, still maintaining eye contact with Tobin. Feeling the effects of liquid courage, she scoots closer to the brunet. "Nope, that's true. And so was taking the wine."

Tobin looks noticeably tense. "So you've fallen for a team mate?" Tobin looks questioningly at the tanned girl in front of her.

Christen nods her head silently in the affirmative.

"Who?" Tobin whispers, barely able to get the word out, their gazes still locked together. Christen's heart beats forcefully but instead of feeling nervous from the adrenaline coursing through her, she feels invigorated, and a surge of confidence washes over her as she scoots even closer to the girl. Their faces mere inches apart, Christen breathes out, "You."

Christen leans in pressing her lips softly onto Tobin's. They sit face to face with their lips unmoving for several moments. Just as Christen is about to withdraw in panic, Tobin moves her lips and sucks lightly on Christen's bottom lip. Christen registers Tobin's hand as it comes to rest comfortably behind her ear, feeling her thumb stroke the soft skin behind her ear gently. Christen kisses back, increasing the intensity and pressure of the kiss. Her mouth parts to allow her tongue to run across Tobin's lips. Tobin's lips opens slightly and their tongues meet briefly, dancing hesitantly with each other. Christen's thoughts swirl in her head, overcome by the sensation.  
  
As her mind clouds with want for Tobin, she feels the girl pull away slowly, as if using all her effort to retract. Christen's eyes remain closed, savoring the ghost of Tobin's touch. When her eyes eventually flutter open, she's greeted with a sweet crooked smile. Unsure how to proceed, Christen is reluctant to ruin the moment with words, waiting for a sign from Tobin.

"Chris, I" Tobin starts but stalls out. Unsure how to word her thoughts, she thinks for a moment, collecting herself. "I really like you. I feel this--thing" Tobin motions pointing back and fourth between them. "I don't want to fuck this up."

Christen's face falls, knowing where this is going. Tobin continues. "I'm not sure if I'm ready to fully give you what I know you want from me."

There it is.

Tobin sees how Christen's expression shifts and tries to backtrack. "I'm not saying it can't happen. I want it to, trust me. I've never met someone as amazing as you before and I just don't want to ruin it before it even starts. I just--baby steps. Can we just take things slow? I don't want to hurt you.

Admittedly, it's not quite the reaction Christen was hoping for, but it's in the right direction. She nods her head, accepting Tobin's terms to their undefined relationship.

Tobin runs her hand down the length of Christen's arm and squeezes Christen's had reassuringly. "Come on, we should probably be getting back to the hotel."

Tobin stands and offers her hands to help Christen from the ground. They stuff the towel and empty wine bottle back into Christen's backpack and walk out of the park toward the hotel. They walk in silence, Christen lost in thought trying to sort out her feelings regarding the past hour. Suddenly, she feels pressure and a slight sting on her shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Tobin release her teeth from her shoulder and smile playfully.

She grabs the fresh bite mark on her shoulder and looks toward Tobin. "Ouch, what was that for."

"What, I thought you liked biting. " Tobin says with a wink.

A smile creeps onto Christen's lips, melting the tension between them. At least we're starting somewhere.


	10. Chapter 5: Tobin's POV

At breakfast the next morning, Tobin feel weightless, effortlessly happy. She feels invincible and it radiates off of her. Christen smiles at her as Tobin comes over to sit by her with coffee as per their ritual.  
  
"Hey Tobs. You look--you're like, glowing or something." Christen says, eyeing the girl next to her.  
  
"I uh, must be a good night's sleep." Tobin blushes, fishing for an excuse.  
  
"Well you look really good. Just--happy" Christen smiles widely.  
  
Free to act as she wishes now, Tobin unabashedly teases and flirts with Christen throughout breakfast, excited to find that Christen plays along eagerly.

At practice, the two work seamlessly on the pitch, connecting passes all over the field and converting crosses into goals one after another. The coaches and other players take note of their chemistry on the field and receive praise for their skill as a duo.

Feeling confident as they walk off the field, Tobin struts into the field house to shower and get back to the hotel room. As she searches for her toiletries, Christen comes by and whips her with a towel playfully, teasing her at the sight of her locker spilling out its contents as Tobin rifles through it. Tobin just laughs and follows her teammates to the showers. Tobin can't wipe the grin off her face. Her face hurts from smiling all day, but she's so distracted by the happiness flowing through her, she isn't bothered by her sore cheeks.  
  
She's also so distracted that she doesn't notice the dark silhouette behind the curtain in front of her. Not realizing the shower is occupied, Tobin thrusts open the curtain to find bright green eyes staring widely back at her. Tobin freezes in shock and fumbles to close the curtain, but not before her eyes involuntarily take a quick look at the tan, fit body in front of her. Christen makes no attempt to cover herself in the few moments she's exposed. Her hands rest on top of her head, running her fingers through her soaking hair. Water falls from her dark hair and pool in the void of her collarbone. Streams trickle down her chest between her breasts and down the expanse of her toned stomach before falling between the apex of her thighs. Tobin's mouth hangs open and as she thrusts the curtain closed, she sees the smirk resting on Christen's lips.  
  
Tobin stammers incoherently. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention. I didn't mean—I shouldn’t have done that. Sorry—sorry.”  
  
Through the curtain, Tobin hears Christen respond calmly. “It’s fine, no big deal. It’s not like you did it on purpose.”  
  
Tobin shuffles into the next shower, this time making sure it was indeed vacant. She turns on the water and strips out of her clothes behind the privacy of the curtain as she responds to Christen. “No, definitely didn’t mean to. Didn’t want to see that.” Tobin cringes and backpedals. “Not that I was looking or anything. I mean, I saw…stuff, but just for like a second. It was fine. You’re fine.” Tobin shakes her head, again trying to take the foot from her mouth. “I mean like, you look good—like normal—like how a normal person should look, or like, better than normal—above average.” Tobin winces at her own lack of composure.  
  
Tobin’s relieved to hear laughter coming from the shower next to her. “Seriously Tobin, it’s fine, no biggie. Hey, now you know me even better.”  
  
Tobin breathes a sigh of relief. “Ok, sorry. Won’t happen again.” Once the knot in her stomach untangles, Tobin thinks about the image of Christen she’d imagined the previous night beneath the covers of her bed. Christen definitely looks better than Tobin had imagined.

 

 

Back at the hotel, Tobin and Alex lay on their beds flipping through channels on the television. Out of the corner of her eye, Tobin can see Alex turning to look at her intermittently.

“Alex what are you looking at?” Tobin calls out her friend.

“Nothing, I just, you were really happy today. I like it. I like seeing you happy.”

Tobin smiles and nods her head, still looking toward the television.

There’s a lull between them until Alex interjects once again. “This doesn’t happen to be related to a certain rookie you went on a mysterious adventure with last night does it?”

Tobin shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not.” Tobin replies playfully, knowing full well that her mood was definitely, unequivocally attributed to Christen.

Alex huffs. “Will I ever get a straight answer out of you? I swear, you could be in the CIA or something. It’s like pulling teeth to get a single bit of information.”

Tobin chuckles and looks at her phone to check the time. She hops up from her spot on the bed and tosses the remote to Alex as she walks into the bathroom. She looks in the mirror and takes off her hat to run a brush through her hair. Never one to fuss over her appearance, Alex watches, puzzled by her roommate’s primping.

“You going somewhere tonight or something?” Alex asks as a joke.

Tobin’s eyes dart to her friend, but quickly return to the mirror in an attempt to appear casual. “Uh, yeah actually. I think Press and I are going to hang out for a bit, since you know, we had such a good day at practice and everything.”

Alex cocks an eyebrow in the direction of Tobin, but before she can remark sarcastically, Alex’s phone vibrates and her focus shifts to the glowing screen. “Ugh, 911 text from Kelley. I need to go to her room, I think she’s watching scary movies alone again.” Alex gets up from the bed and smoothes her clothes and hair. “Don’t think this means you get out of explaining this to me by the way. I expect a full report when I get back whether you like it or not, ok?” Alex states pointedly.

Tobin merely rolls her eyes, knowing it’s pointless to argue with Alex on this. Tobin hears Alex open the door to leave, but is surprised to hear a different familiar voice in her room.

“Hey.” Christen says, leaning against the doorframe to the bathroom. Caught off guard, Tobin fumbles to place her hat back on her head atop her unruly mane.

“Hey you. I didn’t hear you come in.” Tobin says sticking her hands in her back pockets.

“Yeah, Alex let me in. She was on her way over to rescue Kelley or something.

“Scary movie.” Tobin says flatly, nodding her head.

Christen lets out a chuckle. “Yeah”

“Sounds about right.” Tobin says. She runs her fingers through the ends of her hair to untangle the remaining knots before turning toward Christen. “How do I look?” Tobin holds out her arms wide to present herself.

“Like a rebel about to sneak out.” Christen says, playing along.

“Just what I was going for.” Tobin jokes.

“Alright rebel girl, lets get out of here.” She says, motioning for the door.

The two chat idly on their way to their spot beneath the tree. Tobin offers to help Christen carry her backpack because she notices the girl shifting and hunching awkwardly throughout their walk. Christen politely declines and makes a joke of the situation, stating she always has trouble with backpacks because of her ‘hunchback’. Tobin had noticed the way she hunched inward as she ran, and just in general, but always thought it was an adorable quirk, not a ‘hunchback’. They get to their spot in the park and Christen takes the backpack off her shoulders, swinging it around to pull out a hotel towel. She shakes it out and lays it on the ground for the girls to sit on. Christen continues to rifle through her bag and holds up a finger to Tobin  
  
"Wait for it." Christen says before reveling a bottle of red wine from her backpack and presenting it to Tobin.  
  
"Nice!" Tobin takes the bottle to inspect it closer. It suddenly dawns on her, "Do I wanna know how you got this?" Tobin inquires.  
  
"Probably not. I don’t want you to get tied up with me in a theft charge. Plausible deniability you know?" Christen jokes mischievously.   
  
Christen pulls out a wine key from her bag and offers it to Tobin. "Will you do the honors?" Christen asks in an exaggerated English accent  
  
Tobin smiles and takes the wine key from Christen’s hand, their fingers grazing just so. "Of course madam" says Tobin, playing along. She takes another look at the bottle. "So for this evening, we have a 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, product of California." She inserts the wine key into the cork and twists quickly to pop the top. Tobin takes a dramatic whiff of the top of the bottle and cork. "Hmm, subtle notes of tannins, plums, tobacco, and blackberry." Tobin hands the bottle back to a Christen who smiles incredulously.   
  
"Impressive, how do you know all that stuff" Christen asks with some disbelief in her voice.  
  
Tobin laughs, "I don't know anything about wine, I was just bullshitting all that. I can barely tell the difference between a white and a red."  
  
Christen laughs and states sarcastically. "Well you're very convincing". Christen raises the bottle to her lips but quickly retracts it and wipes a drop of wine from her chin. "Oh, I’m sorry--I forgot to bring glasses. I didn’t even ask, are you ok sharing germs with me?"  
  
Tobin chuckles a little at Christen’s concern. They share water bottles and showers with twenty-five other people, but this is what sets off Christen’s germ alarm. "Yeah it's fine. I've already seen you naked, so germ sharing seems like the next logical step." Oops, too much. Tobin scrunches her face slightly, knowing she likely embarrassed the dark haired girl. Sure enough, Tobin sees a pink tint crawl up Christen’s neck into her cheeks. Christen takes a large swig and quickly changes the subject.  
  
“Alright well, what’s the game tonight? It’s your turn to choose since I chose last time.”  
  
Since Tobin doesn’t have a huge archive of drinking games to pull from, she gets creative and thinks that maybe a game she played as a camp counselor one summer would do the trick. "Hmm. Have you ever played two truths and a lie? It's just like it sounds. You say two things that are true about you and make up one lie. If the other person can guess what the lie is, then you take a drink. If they get it wrong then they drink."   
  
Christen chuckles. "What if I'm a terrible liar?"  
  
"Then you're going to be very drunk." Tobin smiles, knowing that she’ll likely have difficulty with this game too. "Ok I'll go first. I grew up in New Jersey, I have three siblings, and my parents are divorced."   
  
Christen brings a finger up to her jaw and traces along the outline as she thinks, a unique personal gesture Tobin has come to recognize and find utterly sexy. "You're parents are divorced, that's the lie." Christen states   
  
Tobin takes a drink. "Yup, still together, still very much in love. I used to think it was gross how affectionate they are, but now I think it's kinda cute how much they’re still in love.” She smiles to herself before turning her attention back to Christen. "Ok your turn."  
  
Christen takes a moment to ponder to herself. "Let's see. I don't have any tattoos, I've never smoked weed--and I'm a gold star." Christen cocks her eyebrow suggestively at Tobin. Tobin smiles, inviting the flirtatious nature of these statements  
  
"Ok all really interesting options. Well I didn’t notice any ink from what I could see in the shower.” Tobin says quietly, hoping the mention of the incident this time will be taken lightly.  
  
"So I guess you did get a pretty good look then huh?" Christen says with a wink.  
  
"Well from what I could see anyway." This time it’s Tobin’s cheeks that turn a light shade of pink as she mutters self-consciously. She continues her guessing. "The other two are tricky. You grew up in California, so there’s probably a good chance that you've smoked, and you did admit last night that you haven’t been super physical with guys in the past. Soooo, I'm gonna go with you've never smoked weed. That's the lie"  
  
Christen takes the wine bottle from Tobin's hands and drinks. "Just to clarify, I've only smoked once. This hot girl from my team in high school wanted to try shotgunning, that thing where you take a hit and then blow the smoke into someone else's mouth all sexy like. How could I say no to basically kissing my crush!"  
  
"Valid point." Says Tobin, her mind wandering to what that exchange might look like. Maybe she could convince Christen to try it with her one day.  
  
Christen clears her throat and snaps Tobin out of her daydream. "Alright it's one to one. Your turn Heath."   
  
Tobin tilts her head from side to side as she thinks of her set of truths and lie. "Ok the last one was a softball. This one will get you for sure. Ok so, my biggest fear is failure, I cheated on a final in college, and I still have an aol email account."   
  
Christen smirks confidently at Tobin. "Well, I know that failure isn't an option for you, so that's a truth. Which means you might actually cheat on a test if there's a chance you could fail, so I think that one's true too. The aol email account is the lie. That can't possibly be true." Christen reasons

  
Tobin smiles and says coyly. "Take a drink".

  
Christen's mouth drops in shock as she slowly raises the bottle to take long drink. "If that's not the lie which, oh my god you cave woman, which one is?"

  
Tobin sighs. Her inhibitions starting to fade due to the mostly empty bottle of wine Christen clutches. "Fear of failure. I mean, it is a fear of mine, but I think my biggest fear is being alone. It's kind of a new one" Tobin's demeanor sinks a little at this confession

  
Christen's face changes and a look of concern washes over her. "You know that'll never happen right? I'd never allow it." Christen says. Tobin feels a gentle squeeze on her hand and a comforting warmth fills her body. She relaxes, enjoying the feeling of Christen's delicate fingers on her own.

  
Tobin responds weakly. "Yeah. Thanks". Begrudgingly, Tobin pulls her hand from Christen's and tucks a stray hair behind her ear as she changes the subject. "Ok I'm winning 2-1. See if you can stump me Press."

  
Christen stretches her arms out and up, revealing a sliver of her stomach beneath her shirt. Tobin catches a glimpse of the tan skin before her arms drop and the hem of Christen's shirt hides her toned torso once more. Christen gives Tobin a mischievous looks and brings her bottom lip between her teeth before continuing the game. "Ok let me see...One of my kinks is biting, I stole this wine from someone's room service cart, and-- I've never fallen for a team mate." Christen's voice diminishes to a whisper at this last statement.

  
Tobin locks eyes with Christen, thrown off guard by these admissions, mainly her final one. What was Christen trying to do? Was this still part of the game, or something more? Tobin's breathing quickens and her heart pounds in her ears. Unsure how to respond, her voice quivers, barely above a whisper. "Uh--the biting kink--that's the lie."

  
Christen's gaze changes, pupils dilate as she stares hungrily at Tobin. Christen scoots closer to Tobin until their bodies sit inches apart.

  
"Nope, that's true. And so was taking the wine."

  
Tobin tenses, feeling her stomach twisting, full of nerves. Her palms sweat as she musters the courage to continue. "So you've fallen for a team mate?" Tobin swallows hard, understanding where her question might lead them, but she doesn't care at this point. She sees the desire building in Christen's eyes and she wants nothing more than to be the one Christen hungers for.  
  
Christen nods her head silently in the affirmative.   
  
"Who?" Tobin whispers, barely able to get the word out, their gazes still locked together.

  
"You."

  
Christen leans in pressing her lips softly onto Tobin's. Tobin freezes, remembering the first time their lips met. She feels a tinge of apprehension, but this is soon overridden by her want for Christen. She gives into her need, and kisses Christen back, bringing her hand to the back of Christen's head, pulling her deeper into the kiss. Unraveled, Tobin opens her mouth, needing to feel and taste more of Christen. Their breaths mingle together as their tongues touch and slide over one another. The sensation is exquisite. Tobin's body is electrified as every hair stands up on her skin and chills run down her back as she feels Christens soft lips sucking and grazing over her own. But the apprehension soon creeps back into Tobin's mind. Even though she wants nothing more than to continue, a ball of guilt starts to form in the pit of her stomach. She just broke up with Shirley and now she's tipsy, kissing Christen unabashedly. Tobin uses every ounce of strength in her to pull away. She looks at the girl inches from her and smiles apologetically, watching as Christen's eyes slowly flutter open, as if waking from a dream.

  
"Chris, I--I really like you. I feel this--thing" Tobin motions pointing back and forth between them. "but I don't want to fuck this up. I'm not sure if I'm ready to fully give you what I know you want from me."

  
Tobin sees how Christen's expression shifts and tries to backtrack. "I'm not saying it can't happen. I want it to, trust me. I've never met someone as amazing as you before and I just don't want to ruin it before it even starts. I just--baby steps. Can we just take things slow? I don't want to hurt you."  
  
Tobin sees the defeat in the girl's eyes as her shoulders subtly curl into her body. Tobin reaches out and runs her hand along the length of Christen's arm in a small attempt at comforting her.

  
"Come on, we should probably be getting back to the hotel."

  
Tobin stands and offers her hands to help Christen from the ground. They stuff the towel and empty wine bottle back into Christen's backpack and walk out of the park toward the hotel.

  
As they walk in silence, Tobin can see the wheels turning in Christen's mind. Tobin hates seeing Christen look so sullen, knowing she's the cause of it. Remembering what Christen had said earlier during their game, Tobin tries lightening the mood. She leans down and gives a quick bite to the girl's shoulder.

  
"Ouch, what was that for?" Christen says with furrowed brows

  
"What? I thought you liked biting." Tobin says with a wink.

  
A smile creeps onto Christen's lips. Relieved that the tension has dissipated, Tobin lets out a sigh and walks with a small smile on her lips back to the hotel.


	11. Chapter 6: Christen's POV

"So here's your stop." Tobin says as the two arrive in front of Christen's hotel room door. "Thanks for uh, everything".   
  
"Yeah of course. Thanks for coming with me." Christen smiles  
  
"Of course"  
  
They stand idly a few moments looking at one another, unsure where they stand with each other. Christen plays with the strings of her backpack and Tobin looks down, shoving her hands in her pockets.   
  
"I was wonder--"  
"Hey I thought--"  
  
They break the silence at the same time and laugh at the awkward exchange.  
  
"You go first." Tobin insists  
  
Christen takes a breath and restarts. "Ok. I was wondering-- if I could give you a kiss goodnight."  
  
Tobin smiles and shakes her head in the affirmative. Christen inches closer and tentatively grabs the belt loops of Tobin's jeans to pull her in easily. With their bodies nearly touching, Christen closes her eyes and leans in to plant a sweet kiss on Tobin's cheek. Though she desperately wants more, she restrains herself and leaves it at that, not wanting to scare the girl away. She pulls back and locks eyes with Tobin, happy with the grin plastered on the brunette's face.   
  
"Good night, Tobin." She says releasing her fingers from Tobin's belt loops and stepping back toward the door.  
  
"Night Press" said Tobin sheepishly as she takes a few strides backward toward her room.   
  
Christen slides her card into the door and slips inside her room to find Alex and Kelley curled up under the blankets of Kelley's bed, the room only illuminated by the glow of the tv.  
  
"Hi guys."   
  
The girls scream and duck under the covers, obviously unaware Christen had entered the room.  
  
Christen chuckles at their reaction. "It's just me guys, calm down."  
  
"What the fuck Press, you can't sneak up on us like that, especially when you know The Strangers is on." Kelley says, peaking her head out from under the covers.  
  
"Sorry, my bad." Christen goes to sit on her bed and watches the remainder of the movie with sounds of yelps and squeals from the other girls in the background. Christen hardly pays attention, instead replaying both kisses from earlier in her head, wondering if Tobin's mulling over the same details. The credits roll and Kelley flicks on the lamp between the two beds. "I tell myself every time that I'm never watching a scary movie again. Look where it gets me." She raises her arms in exasperation.   
  
Alex looks over at the clock nearby. "I should probably go back to my room, make sure Tobin's ok."  
  
"Oh I'm sure Christen took care of her tonight. Didn't ya tiger." Kelley claws at the air and makes a roaring noise.  
  
Christen blushes and rolls her eyes at the comment. Unsure how to explain the events of the night, she opts to keep quiet and let Kelley and Alex think what they want.  
  
Alex laughs and gets up to stretch from laying stagnant all night. "Alright ladies, I'll see you two in the morning". She gives Christen a pat on the back as she walks past her toward the door to leave.  
  
Kelley's attention shifts toward Christen as the door clicks shut. "Soooo. How was it? Did you get some?"  
  
Christen smiles and says coyly, "A lady doesn't kiss and tell."  
  
Kelley's arm shoots up to point at Christen "Ah ha! But you kissed! Knew it. I could tell by the little hearts circling around your head."  
  
Christen blushes slightly and puts her finger to her lips. "Shh. Don't jinx it. We're trying to take it slow. I don't want to scare her away."  
  
"I can be chill, don't you worry. I'll be like, the perfect accomplice. Keep my mouth closed. Snitches get stitches."  
  
Christen laughs. "Alright Kel. Thanks"   
  
At breakfast the next morning, Kelley stays close to Christen, not wanting to miss a moment of the Tobin and Christen saga. They sit down at a table and wait for Alex and Tobin to come down. When they enter the ballroom, Christen immediately finds Tobin's eyes and smiles at her. Tobin's eyes are fixated and she gives a smile and little wave at Christen. So distracted by Christen's smile, Tobin runs into another teammate who had stopped in front of her, knocking a plate of food to the ground. Mortified, Tobin apologizes profusely and attempts to help clean up the mess beneath her feet.   
  
"So much for being inconspicuous." Kelley whispers in Christen's ear. Christen glares at Kelley and greets Alex and Tobin as they come to sit down.   
  
"Hey Alex, how'd you sleep?" Christen asks, noticing her tired expression. Alex responds sleepily "Uh, I couldn't fall asleep. Scary movie ya know." Christen sees Alex look toward Tobin who also look fatigued. Tobin interjects. "Yeah, she had me up half the night too. I had to like, protect her and stuff."  
  
“Jeeze you guys. Couple of scardy cats!” Christen teases, laughing at the daggers Tobin’s shooting her. Changing the subject, Christen asks cheerfully, “ Well, it's the last day of camp, are you guys excited?!"  
  
"UGH" the three veterans groan collectively.  
  
"What's the matter with you three?" Christen asks, confused by their reaction.  
  
Tobin sighs, "Last day of camp always ends with the fitness gram. It's the worst."  
  
Christen furrows her eyebrows "what's the fitness gram."  
  
"Satan's own personal workout routine." Kelley says sarcastically. "It's basically a day of testing your max fitness in every area, endurance, speed, strength. It's brutal and they always save it for the last day."  
  
Christen's cheery mood changes and she feels dread and anxiety balling up in the pit of her stomach. She knows conditioning is her one weakness. On the field, she usually can get away with minimizing her exertion by making smart runs and using her skill on the ball. Her expression soon matches the other girls' at the table and the four sit for the remainder of breakfast, looking like they're at a funeral.  
  
On the field, the players are divided up into groups to go around in stations to complete a different fitness test. Christen gets put in a group with Tobin, HAO, Abbey, Boxx, and Carli. They start with a straight up speed test. Christen and HAO smoke the other girls finishing the 40 meter sprint almost a half a second faster than Abbey. Christen gives herself a mental pat on the back for keeping up with HAO, knowing she's one of the fittest and fastest on the team.   
  
Tobin comes over and quips, "You win this round, but agility's next. Let's see what you got." Christen smiles at the challenge as the group make their way over to the next station. Weaving through cones, Tobin shows a great display of balance and agility, but Christen barely edges her out, finishing milliseconds before the midfielder.   
  
Christen winks at Tobin as their times are read aloud. "You gotta be quick to keep up with me." Tobin furrows her eyebrows and looks more determined than ever to beat Christen.  
  
Next is jump strength. HAO and Abby kill it and Tobin and Christen are no match for their strength. Similarly, Abby and Boxx have the best max bench press, which Boxx attributes to "mom strength". However, Christen's surprised by how much the small and slight Tobin can bench press. Christen watches Tobin's arms, chest and shoulder muscles flex under the weight of the bar as she out-lifts Christen by 10 pounds. Christen's mouth waters seeing Tobin's muscles contract and beads of sweat run down the taught skin.

Tobin gets up from the bench smiling, knowing she'd bested Christen in this event. "1-2. I'm catching up. Beep test is next, better watch out. Midfielders are reigning champions of this one."   
  
Christen trudges to this station, knowing it'll be the most intense and most difficult test for her. The five girls stand on the line and run from one line to the other and back. It starts out slow, at a light jogging pace, but soon picks up. 10 beeps in, Christen feels her breaths getting deeper and more labored. By 20, sweat is dripping from her body as she suck in air as quickly as she can. Abbey drops out at 22 and Boxx and Carli join her at 25. Christen looks over at HAO and Tobin. HAO's face is red and covered in sweat, but she looks confident and determined. Wisps of Tobin's hair fly freely from her ponytail as she's too tired to brush them back from her face. Tobin looks over and gives Christen a taunting smile. They're off again and Tobin races ahead of Christen. Christen wills her tired legs to keep going, but she feels as if she's running with lead feet. Sheer willpower forces her body through two more sets before she collapses at the start, unable to push through anymore. She watches Tobin get through three or four more sets before she too throws in the white towel. Even in her exhausted state, Christen enjoys watching Tobin battle through. It's sexy watching her gritting her teeth and breathing hard. Her sweat soaked shirt bounces across her chest, sticking to some areas, revealing her toned torso. As Tobin finishes her final lap, she comes to rest next to Christen and collapses to the ground, her chest moving up and down furiously as she gulps in deep breaths to fill her lungs.   
  
"Wow, you did really well!" Christen says sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest.   
  
Tobin takes in haggard breaths in an attempt to regulate her breathing. "Thanks" she exhales. "Still can't beat HAO--but I still beat you.” Tobin smiles wide with her mouth open.   
  
With the beep test as their final station, Tobin and Christen move aside to watch their teammates complete the endeavor as well. As the rest of the team completes the test, Christen's performance falls somewhere in the middle of the pack and Tobin's is slightly above the average. Kelley almost beats HAO, but she isn't able to cross the final line in time and they end up in a tie for first place. The coaches end practice and the girls shower and change before busing back to the hotel.   
  
In the bus Abbey calls for the team's attention. "Alright ladies, great training today! Pushing ourselves to our best is a great way to finish off camp. I'm glad to see both the rookies and the veterans growing and pushing to their limits today. Nicely done. So as you know, I am a firm believe in the mantra 'work hard, play hard'. And I can tell you that we worked hard in practice and we played hard on the field, so let's let lose tonight and party hard!"  
  
Abby's speech earns the applause and cheers of the team, all of whom are riding an endorphin high from the intense training. Although going out to night clubs and crowded bars is not typically Christen's scene, she feel a little more confident and excited now that she knows her team mates better. She thinks back on her first night and how she and Tobin first met. The excitement and butterflies are still there, but there is a sense of comfort between them now that wasn't there before.   
  
Back in their hotel room Kelley rifles through her suitcase "What are you going to wear lover girl?" Kelley asks her roommate playfully.  
  
Christen shrugs "I don't know, probably just a shirt and some jeans"  
  
Kelley scoffs, "No no no, you gotta look sexy tonight. Tobs is a visual learner. If she sees you looking hot tonight, she'll forget about all her bullshit baggage holding her back. I know she wants to take things slow or whatever, but what about what you want Press? Ever consider that? I saw the way you were watching her today during the beep test. If you hadn't just completely exhausted yourself, you would have jumped her right there in the field. Also, you talk in your sleep. I've heard things. You're dirty."   
  
Christen opens her mouth to protest, but reconsiders. Kelley was right, she wants to be respectful of Tobin, but maybe she could give her a push to get things moving a little faster. Christen submits, "Ok, well what do you suggest I wear?"   
  
Kelley smiles and claps her hands, giddy that she was able to convince Christen of her plan. "Ok I was thinking, we need to show off your ahem, assets." Kelley says giving her ass a look. "I've seen Tobin eyeing that thing non stop. It's like a Tobin magnet."  
  
Christen giggles, thinking of the times she too has caught Tobin looking.  
  
Kelley pulls out an outfit from her suitcase. "I was saving this baby for a special occasion, but it looks like you might get more use out of it tonight than me."  
  
Christen looks at the tiny shorts and tight tank top Kelley hands her.   
"Uh, I think you're missing some parts. Or maybe this is from Baby Gap or something"  
  
"Nope, that's the magic outfit. I promise it works wonders. No one will be able to resist you in that getup."   
  
Christen bites her lip, mulling over her options, and resigns to at least try it on.  
  
Christen squeezes into the outfit and goes to stand in front of the mirror to check herself out from all angles.   
  
Kelley whistles, "If that doesn't light a fire under her ass tonight, nothing will. Looking good Press."   
  
Christen's curves are accentuated by the tight fabric clinging to her waist and stomach. The neckline plunges to reveal just the top curve of her breasts. The shorts fit snugly around her ass and leave little to the imagination. Her cheeks nearly hang out the bottom and she realizes that bending over might not be in the cards for her tonight. She takes a deep breath and runs her hands through her long wavy hair. "Ok, I'll wear it. Promise I don't look silly?" Christen questions  
  
"No way. If that's silly, sign me up for the circus." Kelley jokes.   
  
After a few minutes of touching up their make up and hair, Christen follows Kelley down to the hotel lobby to meet the team one final time.   
  
The elevator dings and Christen steps out behind Kelley. She looks around and sees many of the other girls are also dressed up with their make up and hair perfectly put together. She breathes a sigh of relief. She was a little worried she would be over-dressed, but she fits right in with the other girls in the group. As she scans the crowd, she finds the brown eyes she'd been searching for. Tobin's eyes are wide and her mouth slightly agape, overcome with the sight of Christen. Christen sees the look of awe on Tobin's face and blushes. Kelley was right, this outfit is good. With a new sense of confidence from the girls reaction, Christen saunters over to Tobin maintaining eye contact, smirking seductively.   
  
"Hey you." She says as she walks up to face Tobin.   
  
"Uh-c-Chris, you look--wow--uh, really nice." Tobin stumbles over her words.   
  
Christen watches Tobin squirm and fidget with the hem of her shirt, obviously flustered by the sight of the gorgeous girl in front of her.  
  
"Thanks, you look good too Tobin. Christen says, giving her the up and down, admiring her tight jeans and cut off shirt that revealed her bra and rib cage. "You ready to go?"  
  
Tobin nods her head, still trying to regain her composure.   
  
The two walk side by side down the familiar streets that had become their stomping grounds for the past week. They share glances and playful shoves as they make the five minute trek to the nearby bar, surrounded by their chatting teammates. When they walk into the bar, they are met by a wall of sound. Christen instinctively reaches for comfort, interlocking her fingers with Tobin's. She looks over at the girl, hoping she hadn't made her uncomfortable, but Tobin gives her a reassuring smile, leading them farther into the building.   
  
She leads them over toward the bar and spins around, leaning in toward Christen's ear. "Whiskey soda still ok?" She asks. Christen smiles and nods her head. Tobin retracts her hand from Christen's as she makes her way to retrieve drinks.   
  
Christen keeps an eye on her as she leans against the bar waiting for service.  
  
"Hey tiger. I see things are going well so far." Kelley says, sneaking up from behind. "It's the magic of the outfit, I'm telling you." Kelley shouts as she's pulled by Alex to the dance floor.   
  
"What was that about?" Tobin says walking up with drinks in hand   
  
"Beats me." Christen says, taking a drink from Tobin's hand. "Thanks again by the way."  
  
Tobin quirks her head to the side, looking confused. "For what?"   
  
"The drink, the nights out, just generally making my first camp experience one to remember."  
  
"Yeah, my pleasure" Tobin says with a genuine smile.  
  
They share a moment of silence between them before Christen is literally pulled from her daze onto the dace floor. Tobin laughs, seeing Christen stumble backward into a crowd of pulsing bodies. Christen mouths "help me" from her place on the dance floor. Tobin chuckles and shrugs her shoulders with a sassy side smile. Christen glares at her, unamused by Tobin's lack of sympathy. Tobin gives in and bobs her way into the crowd and finds a place in front of Christen.   
  
"You are not leaving me alone to dance with them." Christen yells over the thumping music  
  
"I've said it before, I'm not one for dancing, but I'll sway awkwardly next to you." Tobin says leaning into Christen.   
  
"I'll take what I can get." Christen says wrapping her arms around Tobin's shoulders.   
  
Tobin places one hand on Christen's hip and takes a long drink of her whiskey. Their bodies come together and move in rhythm to the music. Tobin isn't as bad of a dancer as she claims, but Christen still finds herself taking the lead. She presses her hips into Tobin's and uses them to guide Tobin. Tobin chugs down the remainder of her drink and stretches to place it on a nearby ledge in order to free up her hands. She runs her unencumbered hands up and down Christen's sides, feeling her rib cage, then her muscular waist, then the curve of her hips as they undulate to the thumping base. Tobin's hands sneak underneath the hem of Christen's shirt and runs them over the warm skin of her hips and lower back. Goosebumps form on Christen's skin, reacting to the skin to skin contact. Christen feels Tobin's hands drift lower. Her fingers dig into Christen's ass forcing them even closer into one another. Christen's thigh slots between Tobin's legs as she sways and ads pressure to the sensitive area. Tobin audibly moans into Christen's neck, encouraging Christen to keep going. Christen leans back to gauge Tobin's reaction and is surprised to see an expression she's never seen before. Tobin's eyes are hungry and fixated on Christen, like the world around them has disappeared. Unable to take the teasing any longer, Tobin leans into Christen for a forceful kiss. Their lips move feverishly against each other on the dance floor, neither caring that the world can see them. Christen feels Tobin's tongue sweep across her bottom lip and Christen parts her lips to taste the girl fully. Their tongues collide and explore this new sensation, massaging one another passionately. Christen slows their pace by closing her lips around Tobin's top lip in a chaste kiss before pulling away from the brunette. Christen leans back to find Tobin's eyes fluttering open, as if waking from a dream. A smile forms on Christen's lips seeing Tobin so enamored.  
  
"I thought you said you couldn't dance." Christen teases  
  
"I can't, I think you're just making me look good." Tobin muses.  
  
Their bodies stay intertwined for a few more songs. They draw the attention of some of their team mates, and besides a few whistles, they mostly leave them alone. A couple of drunk strangers come over to comment on the situation and how it's "fucking hot when girls dance like that with each other." Christen and Tobin shoo the gross men away, clearly uninterested in their opinion.   
  
Christen can feel sweat forming on her chest and forehead from the dancing. "I'm going to take a breather. You coming?" She says to Tobin  
  
Tobin nods and grabs her hand while they weave through the bodies on the dance floor. Tobin didn't realize Christen meant for them to go outside for air, but she didn't mind when she took a deep breath and let the breeze sweep over her hot skin. Christen leans against a wall and runs her hand through her hair to put it up in a bun, away from her sweating neck. Tobin watches, still drooling over the sight of Christen. Christen watches Tobin glide her eyes down her neck. Christen lowers her arms once her hair is firmly secured behind her head and grabs Tobin by the belt loops to pull her closer.   
  
"What are you thinking about?" Christen smiles suggestively, wrapping her hands around Tobin's hips.   
  
"You--your neck. It's nice. And your collarbone- I like it" The stammers out  
  
Christen smiles, knowing she's found a weakness in the girl. "You can touch it if you want." Christen remarks with an inviting gaze.   
  
Tobin reaches up and glides her fingers down the slick skin of Christen's neck, prompting Christen to tilt her head to the side to allow more access to the area. Tobin's fingers trace along the outline of her collarbone and dance across the tanned skin. "Mm that feels good." Christen sighs.   
  
Christen feels Tobin move in closer and lower her hand from the area, replacing her fingertips with feather-like lips. Her lips hesitantly kiss right below Christen's jawline. Christen lets out a small satisfied moan to urge the girl to continue. Tobin takes this sign of reassurance and continues her trail along the soft skin of Christen's neck, licking the salt and sweat from her skin. She makes her way down to Christen's collarbone and grates her teeth lightly along the bone before biting down a little harder than she'd anticipated. Christen lets out a louder, uninhibited moan. She'd been the one in control taunting and teasing Tobin all night, but the tables have turned and she's putty in Tobin's hands now. Christen feels Tobin takes charge and push Christen harder into the wall, pressing her body tightly against the girl. Their lips collide and Christen can sense desperation in Tobin's kiss.   
  
Tobin nips and bites at Christen's lip, grinding her hips into her all the while. The sensation is almost too much for Christen. Her head is swimming with want for the girl. Her sighs and moans of pleasure become harder to stifle, which seems to egg Tobin on. Christen musters all the willpower she has to gently push Tobin away for just a moment.  
  
Breathless, the two part. Tobin's eyes are dark, still looking hungrily at the girl in front of her, questioning why she broke away.   
  
Christen breathes out, "Tobin I want you, but not against the wall of a bar. Can we go back?"  
  
"Yeah." She pauses contemplating her next move. "Should we tell someone where we're going?"   
  
Christen looks at Tobin amused. "You really want to give them that ammunition?"   
  
This realization strikes Tobin. "Yeah better not." She grins   
  
Christen gives Tobin a quick kiss and laces their fingers together. The two laugh at their boldness together, walking briskly back to the hotel. After an agonizing few minutes they make it back into the lobby and jog over to the nearby elevator. They step in and immediately come together in the enclosed area, forcing their lips together once more. Wrapped up in their embrace, neither realize that they hadn't pressed the button to their floor. Christen removes her hand from Tobin's waist and shoves her finger at the button, returning her hands to Tobin as quickly as possible. The elevator dings and the stumble out together, drunk from the taste of each other.   
  
"Whose room are we going to?" Christen questions  
  
"Yours is closer" Tobin says urgently  
  
Christen grabs her key card from her pocket an fumbles with the lock, her hands trembling in anticipation. The card finally slides into the slot and Christen thrusts the door open forcefully and pulls Tobin into the room with her. Not wasting any time, Christen grabs Tobin's hands and walks backward toward her bed, biting her lip as she maintains eye contact. Tobin focuses intently on the girl and follows her movements. The back of Christen's legs rest against the foot of her bed as Tobin closes the gap between them. Tobin's hand comes up to rest on Christen's cheek, gently stroking the soft skin with her thumb. The two stand together illuminated by the light of a streetlamp outside. Shadows are cast across their bodies, accentuating the cuts and curves of their bodies as they stand face to face  
  
"You're so beautiful." Tobin breathes out  
  
A smile creeps across Christen's face as she looks down at the ground, self-conscious from the genuine compliment. Tobin brings a finger under Christen's chin to lift her head back up. "Don't be embarrassed, it's true."  
  
Christen peers into Tobin's eyes, seeing admiration and affection emanating from them. She leans back in, capturing Tobin's lips between hers. The kiss is different, slower, more careful. Instead of pure desire driving them, they release every suppressed feeling they've collected for the other in their kiss. It's painstakingly slow, but Christen takes this time to feel the texture of Tobin's lips against hers. She feels Tobin's lower lip, slightly raw from where she had been biting it all night. She glides her tongue along Tobin's lip to soothe the chapped area. She feels Tobin release a sigh into Christen's mouth as her shoulders drop, relaxing into the kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a cliffhanger for ya. Btw, thanks for all the positive feedback everyone! I'm cranking out chapters as quickly as I can. Here's a question, whose perspective do you think you identify with more so far?


	12. Chapter 6:Tobin's POV

"So here's your stop. Thanks for uh, everything" Tobin says with a smirk.  
  
"Yeah of course. Thanks for coming with me." Christen smiles.

  
"No problem." Tobin replies.  
Tobin shifts back and forth on her hips, sweeping her feet across the carpet. The silence between them ticks by uncomfortably. Finally, the silence is broken as both girls begin speaking at the same time.  
  
"I was wonder--"  
"Hey I thought--"  
  
They both laugh at the awkward exchange.

  
"You first." Tobin says with a chuckle  
"Ok, um. I was wondering-- if I could give you a kiss goodnight."

  
Tobin smiles and nods her head. Christen takes a step to close the gap between them. Their bodies nearly flush with each other, Christen leans into Tobin. Tobin's eyes flutter shut, but instead of the sweet taste of Christen's lips against hers, Tobin feels a warm wetness on her cheek. Tobin grins widely, half smiling at herself, half smiling at Christen's kiss. Christen pulls away and drops her hands from Tobin's waist.

  
"Good night, Tobin."

  
"Night Press" Tobin says as she starts walking backward toward her room. Once she sees Christen disappear into her room, Tobin turns around and takes long strides down the hallway to her room, grinning like an idiot.

  
She goes into her own room and finds it empty. Alex must be finishing the movie with Kelley. Tobin relishes the solitude and flops on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She fingertips trace over her lips where Christen's rested earlier that night. She brings her arms up and laces her fingers behind her head. Tobin's eyes close as she thinks back on the night and her mind drifts into a light sleep.

  
Tobin's awoken some 20 minutes later by Alex flopping on the bed next to Tobin.

  
"Oof, Alex what the hell." Tobin groans.

  
"Tobin, I think you have some explaining to do." Alex says in a sing-songy voice.

  
"What do mean by that?" Tobin's eyebrows furrow inquisitively.

  
"What I mean is that Christen walked into her room just now looking pre-tty happy. She seemed distracted by something... or someone. Hmmm, I wonder who could be on her mind?" Alex mocks, tapping a finger to her lips.

  
Tobin shrugs with a crooked smirk.

  
"Oh come on don't play dumb! I know something happened, just tell me! I'm gonna hear about it from Kelley eventually anyway. Christen talks in her sleep apparently..."

  
Tobin rolls her eyes and concedes. "We kissed ok?"

  
A smile forms on Alex's lips but she reigns it back and opts for a snarky remark, "Did you apologize profusely immediately after this time?"

  
"Not exactly." Tobin responds softly.  
"Come on Tobin, out with it. What happened this time?"

  
Tobin sighs. "We kissed, but I pulled back before it got too far. I just got out of a relationship, I don't know if I need to be rushing back into another one. Right? I told her that I need some time--baby steps"

  
Alex gives Tobin a knowing look. "Yeah, I get that. Just don't let your breakup scare you from letting yourself get close to her. Christen's a catch, you gotta reel her in while she's still on the line or you might lose her."

  
Alex hops off the bed and tussles Tobin's hair. "I'm hoping in the shower. You want to watch a movie with me when I get out? I'm not going to be able to sleep after scary movie marathon with Kelley. I don't know why I put myself through that every camp with her."

  
Tobin laughs. "Yeah, sure."

  
***

  
Tobin and Alex walk to breakfast together the next morning, feeling rather dulled from a late night of movie watching. As they enter the ballroom for breakfast, Tobin catches the focus of beautiful green eyes and completely loses herself in them. She's jolted from her daze when she runs into the brick wall that is Abby. Abby stays stable but her plate of food is knocked to the floor. Mortified, Tobin apologized profusely and helps pick up pieces of bacon and fruit from the floor and piles them back on the plate to throw away. Abby just laughs at her and gives her a pat on the back, sending Tobin on her way once the mess is cleaned up. Tobin jogs to catch up with Alex who has already made it to Christen and Kelley's table.

  
"Hey Alex, how'd you sleep?" Christen asks, eyeing the two of them.

  
"Uh, I couldn't fall asleep. Scary movie ya know."

  
Still recovering from her embarrassing entrance, Tobin offers, "Yeah, she had me up half the night too. I had to like, protect her and stuff."  
  
“Jeeze you guys. Couple of scardy cats!" Christen teases them. “ Well, it's the last day of camp, are you guys excited?!"  
  
"UGH" Tobin groans along with her teammates.  
  
"What's the matter with you three?" Christen asks.  
  
Tobin sighs with her chin resting in her hands, "Last day of camp always ends with the fitness gram. It's terrible."  
  
"What's the fitness gram?" Christen asks, looking between the three girls.   
  
"Satan's own personal workout routine." Kelley says sarcastically. "It's basically a day of testing your max fitness in every area, endurance, speed, strength. It's brutal and they always save it for the last day."

  
Tobin sees Christen's face fall and Tobin wishes nothing more than to wrap her arms around those hunched shoulders to comfort her. Instead, the table grows silent and they sit together morosely for the rest of breakfast.

  
Tobin and the rest of the girls gather on the field for their final practice. Tobin is randomly assigned into a group with HAO, Abby, Boxx, and Carli, and of course, she's put in a group with Christen.

The first trial is the 40 meter dash. Knowing she can't keep up with a speedy Christen, she marvels at how she outpaces all but HAO. Tobin watches Christen walk over to the next station, admiring the view of Christen from behind. She smiles and jogs up to her. "You win this round, but agility's next. Let's see what you got Press."

  
Tobin puts forth a great effort in an attempt to best Christen in this trial, but again, Christen's speed is too much, and barely edges her out.

  
After the times are read aloud, Christen winks at Tobin and quips playfully, "You gotta be quicker than that to keep up with me."

  
Neither Tobin nor Christen can compare to the others in jump strength, and they declare a tie for this trail. While completing her max bench press, Tobin sees Christen watching her from the corner of her eye. She's not sure if it's the need to impress Christen, or her competitive streak that wills her arms to pump out a new personal best on the bench, but she beats out Christen by ten or fifteen pounds.

  
"One to two. I'm coming back." Tobin quips while massaging the lactic acid from her arms. Christen's eyes watch Tobin's hands massaging the tired muscles. Tobin smiles to herself and makes a mental note to wear more sleeveless shirts around Christen. She walks back toward the middle of the field and shouts over her shoulder. "Beep test is next and midfielders are the reigning champs. Better watch out."

  
Tobin lines up with her group as the test begins. She gets through the first ten easily, but knows the pace will soon pick up. Sure enough, her heart starts pounding and her lungs burn for oxygen around 20 beeps in. She sees two teammates fall off shortly after Tobin starts struggling, but Christen keeps pace alongside the midfielders. Willing herself to continue, she glances over at Christen between each beep. Her face glistens with sweat and her black hair whips from side to side as she trudges through each set. Determined to win this trial, Tobin musters every ounce of endurance in her body to fight through the pain of her cramping legs. Finally, Christen collapses, conceding the win to Tobin. For good measure, Tobin pushes out a couple more runs but can't beat the fittest member of their team, HAO.  
Tobin collapses next to Christen and struggles to get oxygen to her lungs.   
  
"Wow, you did really well!" Christen says, still catching her breath.   
  
"Thanks" Tobin exhales. "Still can't beat HAO--but I still beat you. Guess we'll have to call it a draw."

  
They share a smile and shake on it. Tobin and Christen sit together recovering, and watch as the rest of the team finishes up the stations.

  
The weary team trudges to the locker room and shower one last time in the field house before heading to the bus. As expected, Abby takes this opportunity to declare yet another celebratory night out on the town. Tobin smiles, knowing she'll have another opportunity to get to spend time with Christen outside of practice. She thinks back to that first night at the bar and how nervous she was around the girl.

  
Now, Tobin still can't deny the butterflies that flit in her stomach, but her nerves now come from more than just a physical attraction. Tobin enjoys getting to know the quirks and intricacies of Christen, picking up on subtle cues that she's embarrassed or excited or overwhelmed. The looks they share spur Tobin to memorize every minute detail of the girl. She wants to know everything about her, body and soul. Like an addiction, Tobin craves Christen physically and mentally, and she can't possibly imagine a world where she'll ever get enough.

  
Back at the hotel room, Tobin and Alex get ready for their night out. Tobin spends all of ten minutes getting ready and spends the rest of the time sitting on her bed watching highlights on sports center while Alex styles her hair and does her makeup in the bathroom.

  
"So any thoughts about what you're going to do with Press tonight?" Alex says from the bathroom.

  
"I don't know, probably just try to drink until I don't act like a nervous idiot around her." Tobin says, half joking.

  
"You're going to need a lot of alcohol in that case." Alex responds, touching up her eye makeup. "But seriously, are you trying to lay the moves on her tonight?"

  
"I don't know. We're still kinda figuring things out. I guess we'll just see where the night takes us." Tobin answers honestly. Tobin's feelings for Christen were undeniable and growing stronger by the day, but a tinge of guilt still sat in the pit of her stomach. Tobin knows she should feel some sort of remorse from moving on so quickly from Shirley, but she just doesn't. Essentially, Tobin feels bad for not feeling bad. In an attempt to quell her guilt, she resigns to try to restrain herself around Christen, to guard her heart a little bit, just in case this dream was too good to be true.

  
"Fair enough. Just don't go bringing her back to our room to hook up or whatever. I don't want to walk in on that." Alex teases.

  
Alex finishes getting ready and they head down to the lobby to meet the rest of the team. Tobin scans the room, but doesn't immediately see Christen within the crowd of girls. The ding from the elevator catches her attention and Tobin shifts her gaze, hoping Christen will be behind the metal doors. Sure enough, the golden doors to the elevator part, and Tobin marvels as the dark haired beauty steps out of the elevator in an outfit designed by the gods. Tobin's jaw drops seeing Christen in the form-fitting tank top and a sorry excuse for shorts. She can't wait to see what those shorts look like from behind. Christen catches Tobin staring and a confident smirk forms on her lips as she saunters over to Tobin.

  
"Hey you." Christen says as she stops in front of Tobin.   
  
Tobin swallows hard, noticing how close Christen stands in front of her. It's definitely breaking the line of a friendly distance. Tobin stammers, tripping over her words "Hey, C-Chris. Uh, you look--wow--uh, really good." Tobin flinches at her lack of composure.  
  
"Thanks, you look good too Tobin." Christen says, as her eyes wander up and down Tobin's body. "You ready?"  
  
Tobin nods her head, still trying to regain her composure.

  
They walk together within the pack of their teammates, taking up the whole sidewalk as they're herded to the familiar bar down the street. Upon entering, Tobin feels Christen's hand grab for hers, obviously shaken and overwhelmed by the loud and bustling bar. Tobin smiles and squeezes her hand tightly, reassuring Christen as she leads them farther into the bar.

  
Satisfied with their new location, Tobin spins around to face the girl. She leans in and speaks closely into Christen's ear. "Is whiskey soda still ok for you?"

  
Christen nods her head and Tobin begrudgingly unlaces her fingers from Christen's to place her order at the bar. As she waits, she catches Kelley teasing Christen, but she can't quite make out the conversation. She shakes her head, knowing it probably has to do with her. She pays for the drinks and brings them over, handing one to Christen while she takes a sip of her own.

  
"What was that about?" Tobin asks

  
"Beats me." Christen says, obviously deflecting. "Thanks again by the way." Christen says, taking the drink from Tobin.

  
"For what?" Tobin inquires  
  
"The drink, the nights out, just generally making my first camp experience one to remember." Christen says genuinely. Despite spending the last week together, Tobin still can't get over how sweet Christen's voice is.  
  
"Yeah, my pleasure" Tobin says, returning the genuine smile.

  
Suddenly, Christen is pulled onto the dance floor by Kelley. Tobin laughs and tries to weasel her way out of joining the girl, but those eyes draw her in and Tobin is helpless to resist the intangible pull toward the girl. She weaves her way through the crowd and comes to stand in front of Christen, swaying to the deafening music.  
  
"You are not leaving me alone to dance with them." Christen yells.  
  
"I've said it before, I'm not one for dancing, but I'll sway awkwardly next to you." Tobin jokes, acutely aware of Christen's body rubbing against hers.  
  
"I'll take what I can get." Christen says as she wraps her arms around Tobin's shoulders.

  
Tobin gulps down her drink, not wanting the glass to distract her hands from the beauty in front of her. She sets her drink aside and runs her hands along the slim torso of Christen, feeling the muscles beneath contract as she moves her body in time with the music. Christen's hips press forcefully into Tobin's and guide her to sway together to the beat. Tobin's hands find their way down to Christen's ass forcing their bodies even closer. Tobin feels Christen's thigh between her legs and the friction causes an audible moan of pleasure to escape from Tobin's lips. Her body reacts to Christen's movements, and Tobin can feel a familiar arousal growing between her legs. Tobin's mind clouds with want for the girl and all pretense of being discrete is thrown to the wind.

  
Tobin presses her lips forcefully to Christen's as they continue swaying entangled in each other on the dance floor. Tobin quickly escalates the kiss and slides her tongue along Christen's bottom lip, searching to taste more. Christen's mouth parts and their tongues meet, hesitantly at first, but Tobin soon gains confidence and uses this opportunity to explore this new sensation.

  
She feels Christen suck gently on her top lip before pulling away to offer a teasing sentiment. "I thought you said you couldn't dance."

  
"I can't, you're just making me look good." Tobin teases back.

  
They continue dancing for a few more songs, completely engulfed in each other. Some of their teammates come by to playfully whistle at them or offer a suggestive comment, but they barely hear them. Tobin shoots a death glare to an entitled stranger who thinks they're dancing for his enjoyment.

  
Tobin feels Christen's body slow to a stop and she leans into Tobin, "I need a breather. Come with me?"

  
Tobin allows Christen to lead them off the dance floor and through the back of the bar until they are outside. Tobin takes a deep breath of the fresh cool air and adjusts to the relative quiet of the alleyway. She watches as Christen leans up against the brick wall, gathering her hair into a bun to reveal her neck and chest, glistening with a thin layer of sweat. Tobin's eyes graze over the newly discovered area of Christen's body as she's pulled in closer by the hips.   
  
"What are you thinking about?" Christen says suggestively.   
  
Knowing she'd been caught staring, Tobin sputters out, "Your neck. Uh, It's nice. And your collarbone- I like it"

  
"You can touch it if you want." Christen breathes out.

  
Tobin takes this opportunity to gently glide her fingers from Christen's jawline to her collarbone. Christen tilts her head at this touch, offering better access to the soft skin. "Mm I like that--feels good." She sighs.

  
At this comment, Tobin can't restrain herself anymore and she replaces her fingers with soft lips. She peppers feather-light kisses down Christen's jawline, priming another satisfied sigh in return. Encouraged by this, Tobin continues kissing down Christen's neck, tasting the slightly salty skin as she sucks and licks the area. As she makes her way down to Christen's collarbone, she remembers the kink Christen revealed in the park. Hesitantly, Tobin acts on this knowledge, lightly raking her teeth over the protruding bone first before clenching her teeth down on the area. This earns a loud moan from Christen and Tobin notes her reaction, thinking to save this trick for later. Emboldened, Tobin takes the reigns now and pushes her body tightly against Christen, forcing her back fully into the wall behind them as Tobin deepens their kiss. She uses her tongue to taste the inside of Christen's mouth, running it over Christen's swollen lips, unable to hold back her desire. Her hands move up and down Christen's body, sliding over her breast and stomach, pushing the hem of her shirt up slightly so that her fingers can dance across the warm skin unencumbered. Tobin moves her hips into Christen's looking for friction to relieve the growing tension forming in her.

  
Suddenly, Tobin can feel cool air between them as Christen pushes Tobin away. Though they still remain inches apart, Tobin immediately misses the contact and furrows her eyebrows to protest the loss of contact.

  
Christen collects a couple of breaths, "Tobin I want you, but not against the wall of a bar. Can we go back to the hotel?"  
  
"Yeah." Tobin pauses, considering if she should warn her roommate of the impending actions to potentially take place in her room. "Should we tell someone where we're going?"

  
Christen looks at Tobin amused. "You really want to give them that ammunition?"

  
"Oh, Yeah better not." Tobin says on second thought.

  
Christen places a sweet kiss on her lips to punctuate their time at the bar before grabbing her hand to lead her down the street to their hotel.

  
As they get in the lobby elevator, Tobin's so distracted by Christen, she forgets to press the button to start their ride. The two stand entangled in each other for several moments until Tobin recognizes the elevator doors haven't closed yet. Breaking contact from Christen briefly, she looks up to press the button for their floor, and is met by the eyes of an unassuming hotel employee who merely shakes his head at the display. Tobin presses the button to their floor and they entangle once more for the short ride.   
  
As they stumble out of the elevator, Christen asks, "Whose room are we going to?"   
  
Not wanting to waste any more time Tobin gets out "Yours is closer".

  
Christen thrusts the door open to her room and pulls Tobin in, walking backward toward the bed. Christen's eyes light up with fire, focusing solely on the girl in front of her. Tobin closes the gap between them and brings her lips to Christen's once more, having missed the taste of her already. Christin's hands snake through Tobin's hair and massage her scalp gently as Tobin brings her hand up to Christen's cheek, stroking the soft skin, encouraging her to continue.

  
Tobin breaks the kiss briefly, needing to see the piercing green eyes once more. As Christen's eyes flutter open, Tobin's taken aback by the dreamy look of want behind hooded eyes. "You're so beautiful." Tobin says unable to inhibit her thoughts.

  
She sees Christen blush and look down, as if embarrassed by the honesty of Tobin's compliment. Tobin places a finger under Christen's chin to pull her gaze from the floor. "Don't be embarrassed, it's true."

  
Christen's expression relaxes and she smiles briefly before leaning in to place a slow lingering kiss on Tobin's lips.   
This kiss is different. It offers more than pure desire. It's languid and meaningful, as if she's trying to emote every feeling that had been pent up until to this point. Her lips and tongue move against Tobin's, soothing the swollen lips beneath. Tobin melts into Christen's body as she revels in this new sensation.


	13. Chapter 7: Tobin's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided that since the remainder of this story will take place with the girls primarily alone together, I won't be writing the same account from both perspectives. I tried to write this chapter from both perspectives in a way that made it interesting, but it just makes more sense to alternate between Tobin and Christen's perspective since there would be so much overlap. To break things up, this chapter will be from Tobin's POV. Enjoy!

Unable to stand any longer, Tobin pushes Christen's body down onto the bed. Without breaking their kiss, Tobin straddles Christin's lap as she sits on the edge of the bed. Christen's hands wrap around Tobin's strong legs and pulls her closer, guiding her center into Christen's hips. Tobin's hips begin rocking into Christen inadvertently, unable to control her desire for the girl. Tobin can feel a small pool forming in her underwear and knows the current friction could take her over the edge if she's not careful. Tobin collects herself and guides Christen down onto the bed until she lay on her back. To distract from the growing sensation between her own legs, Tobin focuses her attention on Christen and attaches her lips to her neck, nipping and sucking down the expanse of skin, tracing her collarbone with her tongue. Tobin bites down on the bone and Christen's back arches into her in response. Tobin takes this opportunity to glide her fingers under Christen's shirt, pushing it up to expose the taught stomach beneath. 

Unable to stand the fabric between them any more, Tobin demands with urgency. "Take this off."

She watches as Christen removes the tight tank top that had been teasing her all night, revealing the perfectly formed body beneath. The shirt had left little to the imagination earlier that night, but Christen looks so much sexier than Tobin could have possibly imagined. In a rush, she sits up to strip off her own shirt, needing to feel Christen's body on hers. But Tobin is stopped by Christen's fingers raking down Tobin's torso, sending waves of goosebumps across her skin. Christen's peaking nipples don't go unnoticed by Tobin as she skims her fingers across them, still covered by her bra. Christen moans and shudders in response and Tobin revels in the affect she has on the girl's body.

Tobin leans down, placing a trail of kisses down Christen's newly exposed chest. As she kisses lower down her chest And slides her fingers beneath the elastic of Christen's bra, Tobin feels Christen's body freezes. She no longer undulates under her touch and Tobin recognizes a change to Christen's breathing pattern. The ragged needy breaths have slowed and sound more calculated, more intentional now. Tobin picks up on a hesitation in Christen's body and lifts her head up to investigate. Tobin is met with pools of green.

  
"Is everything ok? Do we need to slow down?" Tobin's eyes search Christen for an answer.

  
Christen props herself up on her elbows.  
"No, I mean, everything's fine. This feels really good, you feel really good. I just--I don't want you to regret this you know? I don't think I'll be able to control myself if we keep going is all."

  
Tobin takes a breath and also recognizes the weight of the situation. Sitting back, Tobin runs her fingers through her hair. "Yeah, of course. You're right. I guess I'm just so caught up in you." A bit embarrassed at her eagerness, Tobin sits back on her knees. It was her idea after all to take things slow, yet she abandoned the thought so quickly after getting just a taste of what it could be like with Christen.

  
Thinking this might be the last good look at Christen she'll get for a while, Tobin takes this opportunity to memorize the way Christen looks laying on the bed shirtless, hair cascading behind her shoulders. Tobin takes in a deep breath and sighs out. Although her body is screaming at her to continue, Tobin knows better and fights off her primal desire for a more calculated approach.

"We said baby steps right? Let's take some baby steps back."

  
Christen smiles and nods her head in agreement. Tobin leans down to plant one more kiss on Christen's lips before falling to the side of Christen so they lay next to each other, looking at the ceiling.  
  
"Sooo...What now?" Tobin asks  
The bed shifts as Christen turns to rest on her side. She places her hand on Tobin's stomach and traces lazy circles across her skin. "I don't know. I like doing this." Christen says.  
  
"I like this too." Tobin smiles looking over at Christen.

  
For the next hour, Christen and Tobin explore each other in a different sense. Still touching and kissing each other all the while, they swap stories of childhood experiences, favorite movies, funny things they saw on the internet. The conversation flows easily as they delve into what makes the other tick.

  
Eventually, Kelley stumbles into the room, but merely smirks at them instead of offering some snappy comment, as if she expected to see them there. Tobin's grateful for Kelley's courtesy in this somewhat precarious situation.

  
Not wanting to press her luck, Tobin gives Christen a sweet kiss before rising up out of bed to leave. "I should get going." Tobin smoothes out her clothes and brings her hair up in a ponytail. "I had a really good time with you tonight."

  
Christen's lips spread wide across her face, "Yeah, me too"

  
Tobin pauses at the door and turns around. "Come find me before you leave tomorrow ok?"

  
"I wouldn't dream of missing you." Christen says still perched on the bed.

  
Tobin smiles and slips out of the room into the hallway. She pauses at the door and laughs to herself, amused by how quickly she's fallen for Christen.

****

P: hey sis, a sewage pipe busted in our house somewhere last night. I don't know if you want to come stay here after all. :/

T: yikes. Is everything ok?

P: yeah, we're fine. Just smelly... is there somewhere else you can stay after camp? I don't want to leave you out to dry.

T: I'll figure something out. Don't worry about it.

P: let me know where you end up!

T: Will do. Love you!

P: Love you!

  
Tobin puts down her phone on the nightstand and falls back onto the bed beneath her. It's not the information she wanted to wake up to, but at least she was warned and won't have to suffer the destruction at her sister's house. Tobin had arranged to stay with her sister after camp, but now, she'll have to find a place to couch surf until next month's camp. Being homeless has it's downsides.

"Who's texting you this early?" Alex says, zipping her suitcase closed.

"My sister. I was supposed to stay with her after camp, but a pipe busted at her house, so I don't think it's gonna work out anymore." Tobin says matter of factly.

"I would say you could stay with me, but I'll be with Serv at his parents house. Sorry Tobs." Alex apologizes

"No it's ok, I'll figure something out." Tobin says, scrolling through the contacts in her phone, looking for someone who owes her a favor.

"You wanna go get some breakfast before I head out? My flight leaves in a couple hours." Alex offers.

"That's ok, I should probably figure out my next move." Tobin replies.

"Ok, well if I don't see you before I leave, have a good rest of the month." Alex walks over and leans down to hug Tobin who sits on the edge of her bed. "And keep me posted with all this Press stuff. I am your best friend after all, I deserve to know these things."

Tobin laughs "Ok, ok deal. I'll keep you posted."

Alex grabs her luggage and exits the hotel room, giving Tobin one last wave before the door closes behind her.

Tobin lets out a sigh. "Time to call in some favors."

After calling her parents and a few of her friends, she still has no luck. She had forgotten her parents were away on vacation, and her friends were all tied up with babies and siring the youth of tomorrow. Tobin can't believe her timing. She feels a dull headache start just behind her eyes. Unsure if it's stress-related or caffeine withdrawal, Tobin figures a large cup of coffee couldn't hurt the situation. She looks to her phone to see if it's too early to ask for some company. She picks up her phone to text Christen.

T: Hey when's your flight? Do you have time for coffee

She doesn't have to wait long for a response

C: Not until later. There's always time for coffee.

T: meet me in the lobby in 5?

C: Sure. See you soon!

Looking around the room, Tobin knows she'll have to pack eventually, but for now, she'll delay the inevitable. She grabs her key and heads down to meet Christen.

Tobin plops on a chair in the lobby and continues scrolling through her phone, thinking maybe she'll just travel somewhere by herself. The coaches and staff would hate that, but maybe she'd just tell them after she's already gone. She's shaken from her thoughts when a familiar voice calls to her.

"Hey Tobin."

Tobin looks up from her phone and is greeted by kind green eyes.

"Hey Chris. Sorry, I'm still looking for flights. Haven't decided where to go yet now that we're free." Tobin tries to say as casually as possible.

She stands up from her chair and motions for Christen to follow her out the revolving door of the hotel toward the coffee shop.

"You're not going home?" Christen asks, confused as they exit the building.

"Technically, I don't really have a home. I just kinda crash on people's couches between camps and games and stuff." Tobin states, shoving her hands in her pockets.

"Huh, I've never met a homeless person before. What a life to lead!" Christen teases.

Tobin looks up and down the streets as she searches for the coffee shop she's had her eye on since they got to camp. "Yeah, my sister said she would let me crash with her once camp was over, but I can't go there anymore. Something about a busted sewage pipe... I'm steering clear of that." Tobin laughs

"Yikes. Yeah that might put a damper on your visit." Christen says as they reach the coffee shop.

"Here we are." Tobin says, motioning to the glass double doors

Christen reaches in front of her and pulls the door open for Tobin, who steps inside, letting the smell of freshly ground coffee permeate her nose. She walks up to the counter and smiles at the barista. "Hi. I'll have a small americano and..." she turns around to direct her question toward Christen. "Chris, what do you want."

Christen's eyes widen as she waves her hands across her body. "No no, you don't need to get me coffee."

Tobin looks at her incredulously. "It's three bucks, just give the man your order."

Christen gives Tobin a look but steps up closer to the counter. "I'll have a small cappuccino please."

Tobin pays for the drinks and they go to sit down, drinks in hand. Tobin leads them to a corner near a floor to ceiling window so she can people watch from the comfort of a plush chair. They sit in silence for a few moments, sipping on their coffee while Tobin's eyes watch strangers walking down the street. She wonders where they're going, what their story is. She's snapped from her daydream when Christen interjects.

  
"Hey I have an idea."

Tobin looks over at the girl warmly, wondering what her idea could be this time. Tobin can't help but think it's cute how Christen's usually the one to break the silence.

"Oh yeah? Shoot" Tobin says with a chuckle.

Christen's demeanor changes, the wide grin fading from her face into a smaller half smile. She takes in a deep breath. "So I know we said we should take it slow--baby steps--but I was thinking, if you need a place to stay, you could come back to LA with me. I'm going to house sit for my parents since they're out of town, so it's just me...well, us if you want to come." She looks hesitantly at Tobin, almost grimacing as she waits for the brunette's response.

Tobin brings her lip between her teeth as she mulls over her options internally. Staying with Christen alone might be a little too much too soon, but then again, I don't have anywhere else to go. Maybe it could be ok. We'll just take it easy, no expectations. It doesn't have to be a big deal if we don't make it one.

Tobin looks up from her hands and gives Christen a smile. "Yeah ok, count me in. Just promise me one thing."

Christen's look of brief relief is replaced quickly by furrowed worried eyes. "Uh, sure what?"

"We have to go surfing." Tobin smiles, seeing the relief wash over Christen's face.

Christen breathes a sigh "Ha, yeah of course. My parents live right near the water so we'll basically have a private beach."

Tobin nods and smiles at the prospect of surfing with Christen. "Nice ok, let me just look up tickets and I'll see if I can catch the same flight as you."

Tobin turns her attention to her phone and searches for Christen's flight this afternoon. After finding the last seat available on the flight, she whips out her wallet from her pocket to finalize her purchase. She looks up after several minutes and sighs dramatically

"Wew, that was lucky. There was only one seat left on that flight. Guess it was meant to be." Tobin winks at Christen, earning a coy smile.

They sit together finishing their coffee unhurried. Tobin relaxes a bit now, knowing her plans are no longer up in the air. However, her nerves quake just under the surface, knowing their trip will likely add an extra layer of uncertainty as to where they stand. Tobin tries to push the thought from her mind and convince herself that it's not a big deal unless she makes it one. They take their last sips of coffee and bus their table, thanking the barista as the leave the shop.

Newly energized, Tobin heads to her room to finish packing. Christen comes along for moral support, stating she'd already packed earlier this morning.

As they shove dirty clothes and used socks into the suitcase, it becomes apparent that Tobin's suitcase would not be closing without some manhandling.

Christen leans onto the suitcase in an attempt to close the top so that Tobin can zip it closed. "Dear lord Tobin, why the hell did you bring this tiny suitcase?!"

"What? I don't like checking my bag. I like having a carry on just in case." Tobin says defensively

"Just in case of what?! The apocalypse?"

Tobin laughs, watching the girl struggle on top of the suitcase. "Babe, this bag is too heavy to be a carry-on. I don't think--."

Tobin's ears perk up and she smirks at Christen as she slaps her hand over her open mouth and pink cheeks.

"Oh, I mean--I'm sorry, I didn't mean--ah, shit." Christen brings her hands over her face and sighs loudly.

Overcome by how cute Christen looks when she's embarrassed, Tobin chuckles lightly and brings her hand up to Christin's arm. "Chris, don't worry about it, really. I kinda like the sound of you calling me babe."

Christen smiles before turning her attention back to the bag. Tobin gives the zipper one final tug and the suitcase finally closes. Christen sticks her hand up for a high five, but Tobin has a different idea, pulling her in close for a brief kiss. Still getting used to the feeling of kissing Christen, a rush of adrenaline courses through in response to this small gesture. Gathering her wits, Tobin breaks the kiss and quips, "That effort deserved more than I high five don't you think?"

Christen shoots Tobin a smirk, "I'll have to start trying harder at things if that's the reward."

Christen initiates another kiss and wraps her arms tightly around Tobin's waist. Tobin brings her hands up to Christen's curly locks to push their mouths together forcefully. Their lips work together, still trying to find that comfortable rhythm only practiced lovers have. For now, instinct and excitement still guide their movements together as they get to know the other's idiosyncrasies, likes and dislikes, wants and needs.

This time it's Christen who breaks the kiss, putting her hands flat on Tobin's chest to push her away lightly. "We should get going if we want to catch a ride to the airport in time."

Tobin inhales deeply, still catching her breath. "Uh, yeah. You're right. I'm right behind you."

Christen walks out of the room first as Tobin grabs her suitcase from off the bed, wheeling it behind her. She looks back into the room before the door closes. "Goodbye room, thanks for the good times!"

Christen laughs, watching Tobin wave to the now empty room. The girls walk down to the lobby and go through the checkout process before hoping in a shuttle to the airport. They sit in the back of the van in relative silence with splatters of brief conversation here and there, both obviously lost in their own thoughts. Tobin's nerves begin to build the closer they get to the airport. Am I going to be imposing? Do I have any clean clothing left? Would it be weird to do laundry at her house? Would all my clothes smell like Christen? That might be nice...

Tobin's inner monologue is interrupted by a hand on her shaking leg which had been bouncing up and down nervously the last several minutes. "Hey, you ok?" Christen asks, concerned.

"Uh yeah, just making a list of all the potentially embarrassing articles of clothing I might have in my suitcase."

This earns a smile from Christen. Tobin's leg stops jiggling, but Christen's hand remains on her thigh, radiating heat through Tobin's jeans.

They arrive at the airport and take their bags to the checking counter. Christen checks both her large suitcases and tries to convince Tobin to check hers, but fails and the two walk away wheeling Tobin's oversized carry on behind them. They wait in the terminal sharing earbuds to listen to songs together while they scroll through social media or play games of solitaire on their phones.

The flight goes relatively smoothly. Tobin naps briefly, resting her head on Christen's shoulder as she reads by the light of the window. When Tobin realizes she can't quite get comfortable in the small coach seats, they watch an in flight movie together and snuggle next to each other under Tobin's oversized UNC sweatshirt sipping on their complimentary cups of soda.

When they finally land, the sky is dark but reveals the twinkling lights of the sprawling city. Tobin lugs her bag out of the overhead compartment and off the plane, following Christen to baggage claim to retrieve her luggage.

A short taxi ride takes the girls through a nice neighborhood with large houses lining the street. Tobin watches out the window as Christen points out familiar landmarks and tells stories to accompany them. "That was were my friend tried to jump out of a tree and broke her arm--that's the house with the adorable dog that always got out--that's the convenience store we bought beer from that didn't ID." Tobin nods her head to the stories, watching as Christen reminisces about her childhood neighborhood.

The taxi slows and comes to a stop in front of a large house. Tobin's eyebrows raise and she lets out a whistle. "Is that your house?"

Christen unbuckles herself and slides out of the taxi to grab her bags from the trunk. "Yeah, home sweet home. God I missed this place."

Tobin slides out and grabs her bag, "You weren't lying when you said your house was near the beach. I can literally hear the waves from here." Tobin says, standing dumbstruck on the curb.

Christen pays the driver and indicates for Tobin to follow her up the walkway. She shouts from over her shoulder, "Wait til you see the water."

Tobin follows her up to the front door and watches Christen fumble with a set of keys. She eventually unlocks the door and swings it open. Tobin is taken aback. The house is beautiful, opulent even. Tobin takes in everything from the high ceilings to the dark hardwood floors and the large windows that line the walls throughout. "Jesus Chris, this is where you grew up?"

Christen smiles and says humbly "Yeah, I was lucky." Leaving her luggage at the door, she walks in farther, turning lights on as she goes. Tobin follows suit, dropping her bag and taking in the gorgeous house. Christen makes a B-line into the kitchen and opens the refrigerator door to look for something to eat. With her head still inside, Christen asks a muffled question into the refrigerator, "Are you hungry? I'm starving! All that traveling works up an appetite, plus we didn't really get to eat much on the flight. A girl cannot live on peanuts alone."

Tobin laughs, leaning up against the countertop bar separating the open concept kitchen and living room. "Yeah I could eat. What's on the menu?"

Christen pulls out a frozen pizza and presents it to Tobin. "It's not a five star meal, but I'm just so hungry and don't want to cook. Is this ok?" Christen whines to Tobin

"Ha, yeah that sounds perfect. Do you need any help with anything?"

"As challenging as baking a frozen pizza is, I think I'll manage without a sous chef tonight. Why don't you make yourself comfortable. You can take a look around the house if you want. I'll come find you once I unwrap this bad boy." Christen says straining to rip apart the cellophane enclosing the pizza.

"Ok, embarrassing family memorabilia here I come." Tobin says, spinning around on her heel to inspect the house.

Tobin walks cautiously across the wood floors, her footsteps the only noise echoing down the hallways. She looks at pictures of Christen's parents and other assorted family members. She sees pictures of Christen and her sisters at various stages of life hanging up on walls and displayed proudly on end tables.

She makes her way to a staircase and climbs up two stairs at a time. When she gets to the landing, she sees three bedroom doors and a bathroom. She peers into each bedroom, trying to guess which one could be Christen's. She sees a faded poster of Brandi Chastain in the iconic World Cup celebration: kneeling on the ground, shirt off, fists pumping. This has to be Christen's room.

Tobin smirks and pushes the door open to enter the bedroom. Christen's bedroom is a shrine to the girl. Pictures of prior teams and certificates of achievement litter the walls, while every inch of shelf space is taken by a trophy or award of some kind. Tobin looks around the room admiring her collection. Again her eyes rest on the old poster as she is flooded with memories of watching that game and being enamored with the players on that team. She reaches out and runs her fingers along the outline of the woman in the photo.

"Sexy right? I think it was this picture that made me first question my sexuality." Christen says as she comes to stand shoulder to shoulder with Tobin. They both take a moment to admire the poster in silence.

"Now that you mention it, you never did tell me your coming out story." Tobin says, remembering one of their previous nights getting to know each other under that tree in the park.

"Ha, do you want the long version or the short version?" Christen says, spinning around to sit on the queen sized bed.

"How about the medium version." Tobin says, sitting next to her.

Christen runs her hands through her hair, collecting her thoughts before she starts. "Ok. Well, I guess I always kinda knew I was different. I always admired girls and was drawn to them, but didn't think anything of it til later in life. I had a few boyfriends in high school, but mostly because that's what you're supposed to do at that age. I liked hanging out with them but never really let the physical stuff go very far. Like we'd kiss and stuff, but I always got freaked out when they'd try to do anything below the belt. I'd end up breaking up with them after a few months of dating when the novelty wore off. I know that sounds fucked up, but I didn't know what I was doing at the time."

Christen looks apologetically toward Tobin, but Tobin puts a reassuring hand on Christen's back. "No, I don't think that's messed up. That's part of figuring out who you are. Things happen. Plus it was high school. Nobody knows what they're doing at that age anyway."

  
This earns a sweet smile from Christen and she continues her story. "So then in college, I met this girl on my soccer team. She was so talented, so sexy, but she was kinda a tease and ended up breaking my heart. She had a boyfriend but was bisexual or something and we fooled around a few times, and every time she'd swear she was breaking up with him for me, but it never happened. I followed her around like a puppy for two years. She gave me just enough to keep me coming back you know? Finally, she moved away for a study abroad thing and just didn't come back. We sent some emails back and forth at first, but those dwindled until they just stopped completely. Out of sight out of mind I guess. I've had a few flings here and there since then, but with my schedule, I've realized it's really hard to keep girls interested when you're not around. So here I am. That's how gay little Christen Press came to be." Christen takes a deep breath and exhales loudly, relieved from purging this information all at once.

Trying to validate Christen's feeling, Tobin offers her two cents. "I feel like a lot of people have that one douchy girl experience. Not to downplay how awful and heartbreaking it is, but I had something like that too. My ex was kinda like that. The whole 'come here, go away' routine. It pulls you in but it's really hard to stick around after a while. After being with her, I decided no more games. I'm going to go after what I want and I'm not putting up with people's bullshit."

Christen nods her head in agreement "Well that's a good mentality to have. I feel like honesty is such a hard thing to find in the dating world these days. No one wants to put themselves out there."

There's a lull in conversation and Tobin shifts, causing the bed frame to squeak quietly beneath her before she speaks. "While we're being honest, can I tell you something?" Tobin's heart begins beating forcefully in her chest and her palms sweat as they rest on her legs, playing with torn fabric on her knees.

"Yeah of course." Christen replies with a small smile.

Tobin inhales and exhales deeply before starting. "Ok, I really like you Christen. You're beautiful and sweet, and I love just being around you. To be completely honest, I'm kind of scared by how much I like you. I knew when you invited me to come here, I probably should have said no. I just broke up with my ex you know. I probably should take some time to reset or recover from that or whatever, but the thing is, I knew it was over as soon as I met you. I knew I wanted to be with you. All that other bullshit just seemed to not matter anymore. I know I said I wanted to take baby steps, but fuck baby steps, I just want you Christen."

There's a silent pause between them as they stare at each other unmoving. "Is that too much?" Tobin asks with a tinge of defeat in her voice, embarrassed that she's revealed too much.

Christen's eyes soften as she brings her hand up to Tobin's cheek, resting it there softly. "No, I really like you too. I don't want any more fucking baby steps either"

Christen leans forward and crashes her lips into Tobin's. Tobin's lips part immediately, hungry and eager to taste Christen. She runs her tongue along Christen's lips, and massages Christen's tongue with her own, unable to get enough of the girl. She feels Christen bring her hand up to run her fingers up Tobin's neck through her hair, entangling them in the caramel locks.

They break apart at the sound of the oven timer beeping obnoxiously downstairs. Christen sighs, obviously annoyed by this interruption. "I better go get that before we burn the house down." She gives Tobin a quick peck and hops up from the bed. "To be continued" Christen says with a wink.

The two make their way downstairs to the kitchen. Tobin sits in a bar stool and watches as Christen fumbles to get the piping hot pizza out of the oven and onto the counter. Christen tosses it on the counter retracting her hands and blowing on her hot fingers, having only used a napkin to guard her fingers from the heat. Tobin laughs at Christen's ineptitude in the kitchen. Christen searches through a drawer for the pizza cutter and slices the pizza into equal pieces before scooping them onto plates for both girls to enjoy. They take their plates to the oversized couch in the living room and sink into the cushions.

They relax momentarily, but Christen soon shoots up off the couch. "Oh, do you want a beer or something to drink? My dad just got into home brewing and he's actually pretty good."

  
"Yeah that sounds good to me." Tobin says over the back of the couch, laughing at Christen's inability to sit still for long.

Christen makes her way over to the kitchen and takes out two brown bottles from the fridge and pops the tops off with a bottle opener magnet in the shape of a shark. She brings them back over to the living room and hands the cold drink to Tobin as she makes herself comfortable next to the girl.

"There's something about beer and pizza that just seems so right." Christen says with a mouth full of pizza.

Tobin swallows her first bite and takes a sip of beer from the bottle. "Yeah, this beer is great. Compliments to the chef, er, brewmaster I guess."

The two wolf down their pizza, unaware just how hungry they'd been after a long day of traveling. They have another beer together, exchanging battle stories of college shenanigans and the debauchery and terrible decision making that ensued. Once they finish one upping each other, Christen suggests a change of pace, "You want to put on a movie or something?"

"Uh sure. You have anything in mind?" Tobin asks, letting Christen guide their schedule for the evening.

"Ok I know this is gonna sound dumb, but I really love the movie Wall-E. It's so cute and the most underrated Pixar movie, in my opinion." Christen says, talking animatedly about the film.

"I don't think I've ever seen that one."

"Are you kidding me?! Ok now we have to watch it. You're going to love it, I just know it."

Christen grabs the remote and turns on the tv, setting it up before searching through a collection of DVDs for the movie. Sitting on the floor in front of a large case full of movies, she finds it and holds it up with a loud "Ta-dah!" as if she'd found buried treasure. Tobin laughs, watching Christen crawl over to the DVD player on all fours. Tobin can see the way yoga has impacted the girl's body, admiring the long lean muscles stretching over her frame.

Christen puts the disc into the dvd player and sits back on the couch, pressing play on the remote. Christen's giddy and Tobin can't help but laugh at the child-like reaction from Christen. Christen buries her head into Tobin's shoulder and Tobin lifts her arm to wrap it around the girl instinctively, as if she'd done it a thousand times before. Christen readjusts and rests her head on Tobin's chest, enjoying their closeness. Throughout the movie, Tobin runs her fingers up and down Christen's arm and strokes her hair intermittently. Likewise, Christen's hands can't lay still and she traces circles on Tobin's jean covered leg.

They get about halfway through the movie before they're light touching becomes heavy petting. Christen's hand reaches farther and farther up Tobin's leg with every stroke and the touch doesn't go unnoticed by Tobin. The rise and fall of Tobin's chest grows faster and deeper as her breathing escalates. Christen repositions herself and pushes aside Tobin's hair from her neck in order the kiss the warm skin beneath. She starts slow, making a light trail of kisses up Tobin's neck, past her jawline to her ear and bites down on the lobe. Tobin whimpers at the sensation, which seems to spur Christen to continue nibbling, licking and kissing the rim of Tobin's ear. Tobin can feel Christen's assault become more intense as she sucks and bites the sensitive skin of her neck, undoubtedly leaving a trail of reddened skin behind.

"Chris" Tobin breathes out. Her body electrified by the touch of Christen.

Christen moans at the sound of her name. With a sly smile, Christen breaks the kiss to swing her leg over Tobin to straddle her, sitting on top of the girl's lap much like Tobin had done to her in the hotel room the night before. Tobin cranes her neck upward and wraps her hands around the back of Christen's neck to bring her in closer. Christen leans in to capture Tobin's lips again and kisses her passionately.

Their heads roll together as their lips move in sync, sucking and pressing firmly against each other. Tobin's hands move to Christen's thighs running up and around her back, grabbing her ass and pulling her in closer. Christen's hips begin rocking into Tobin's lap as Tobin kisses and sucks on her neck. The pressure of Christen grinding on top of her makes Tobin's center pulse with want for the girl. Needing more, Tobin detaches her lips briefly to gasp for air and uses this opportunity to take Christen's collarbone between her teeth, biting down hard enough to elicit a response from the girl above her. Christen moans and jerks her hips hard into Tobin. Tobin smirk against her skin, satisfied with the reaction she received, internally cataloging Christen's kinks. Biting--check--but she already knew that. She was just making sure.

Tobin's hands snake beneath Christen's shirt and run up the expanse of her back, feeling the warm skin contract with goosebumps beneath her fingertips. Her hands find their way around Christen's rib cage and glide across the cups of her bra and back down her stomach, taking in the feeling of every inch. Unable to stand the fabric between them anymore, Tobin pulls at her shirt and lifts it up over her head, throwing it to the side. Tobin's eyes skim over Christen's small sculpted torso, awestruck. After a few moments of staring, Tobin makes eye contact, and sees the desire burning in Christen's eyes.

Like an animal feeding on it's prey, Tobin flips their positions and pushes Christen down on the couch, hovering over her with her hands grasping Christen's small wrists, securing them firmly to the couch next to her head. She hovers over Christen and leans in for a long languid kiss, teasing the girl beneath her.

Tobin releases her hands from Christen's wrists and sits up. In one fluid movement, Tobin removes her own shirt and leans back in to attach her lips to Christen's. Tobin's leg moves in between Christen's and puts pressure on Christen's center. Tobin can feel the warmth of Christen radiating on her thigh.

Christen grinds her hips into Tobin, needing some kind of relief from the sensation in her core. After several minutes, their breaths are ragged, mixing harshly with each other's as their mouths move together for kiss after kiss.

Christen pants into Tobin's ear. "Tobin, I need you--I need more."

Eagerly complying, Tobin brings her fingers to the waistband of Christen's workout pants and dips them just below the seam, feeling the sensitive skin beneath. Christen groans at the teasing girl in dissatisfaction. Tobin takes this cue to sit up and uses both her hands to shimmy off the pants, so that Christen lay on the couch looking fucking sexy in her bra and underwear. Christen gives Tobin a once over and motions with her head, "You too."

Tobin eagerly slides her jeans off less gracefully and kicks them several feet from the couch. Christen giggles a little at this display, but is soon quieted by the sight of Tobin crawling up her body, running her finger along tanned skin as she goes. Tobin returns to Christen's lips and moans into her mouth, feeling the skin to skin contact. Tobin's skin tingles with every brush of contact, and goosebumps form on her body. Tobin's nipples peak beneath her sports bra and Christen wastes no time, raising her hand to brush her fingers over the area. This time, it's Tobin whose hips buck uncontrollably into Christen. Having discovered this sweet spot, Christen circles the area with her fingertips, eliciting sighs and whimpers from the girl above her. Tobin's hips grind harder into Christen and she matches Tobin's pace, meeting her hips with every rise and fall. Tobin's clit throbs beneath her underwear and she knows she needs more contact to satisfy the ache. Unable to control her desire any longer, Tobin grabs Christen's hand by the wrist and thrusts it beneath her underwear to the place she'd been needing it all night. Tobin's underwear is soaked at this point and Christen lets out a raspy slew of expletives at this realization. "Fuck Tobin--shit, you're so--"

Christen hesitates, but Tobin's so turned on by the sound of Christen talking to her, she pleads with Christen. "Keep going, I want to hear you say it."

"You're so fucking wet Tobin."

Tobin moans at the sound of Christen, hearing the ache in her voice.

They feed off each other's arousal in a cycle, ramping each other up at a blistering pace. Christen's fingers glide easily through Tobin's slick folds and brush over her engorged clit. Tobin rides Christen's hand, still on top of her, arms shaking to hold herself up. Tobin's moans come with every exhale now, unable to inhibit her response to Christen's touch any longer. Christen's fingers make large slow circles around Tobin's clit as Tobin's's hips thrust hard into Christen's hand, needy for more friction.

Feeling Tobin's desperation, Christen's fingers swirl in a tighter circle until they are right on top of the bundle of nerves. Tobin's hips buck wildly now, fully engulfed in the sensation, not caring how she looks or where she is. Her only concern is relieving the tension that has built up in her center. Her breathing is labored and every muscle in her body works to pull Christen tighter into her. Christen's fingers pick up the pace trying to give the girl what she helplessly desires. "Fuck Chris keep going-- fuck you feel so good."

Christen pulls Tobin in closer, brushing her lips across her ear as she whispers breathlessly "Tobin, I wanna make you cum."

Just as the words leave Christen's mouth, Tobin's body convulses involuntarily as every nerve in her body is electrified. Dopamine courses through her, bathing her in euphoria and bliss. The pleasure is exquisite. Her muscles which fought so hard relax in a heap as she falls on top of Christen, basking in the pleasure of this moment.

Christen's fingers slow to a stop and she removes her hand from beneath the fabric of Tobin's underwear, bringing her drenched fingers up to her mouth and wrapping her lips around them, licking them clean. "Mmm. Next time, I want to taste you." she says seductively.

Had Tobin not still been in a post-coitus haze, she would have definitely taken her up on that offer immediately. All Tobin can muster is a dreamy smile, still reeling from the aftermath of her orgasm. She wraps her arms tightly around Christen and rests on top of her. She feels Christen's nails rakes lightly across the bare skin of her back, lulling Tobin into the most relaxed state she's ever experienced.


	14. Chapter 8: Christen's POV

Christen sweeps strands of caramel hair from Tobin's face and places gentle kisses along her temple and forehead. "Now what are we going to do with you?" Christen questions seductively. There's silence between them and Tobin remains motionless on top of Christen. "Tobin?" Upon further inspection, Christen realizes that Tobin had fallen asleep within minutes. She really can sleep anywhere. Christen laughs to herself and strokes the girls hair lightly, still enjoying their positioning. They lay like this, bodies intertwined a few more minutes, but Christen's arm starts falling asleep and she soon reevaluates the situation.

"Tobin--Tobin, baby, we need to get you in bed." Christen says gently while running her fingers along the girls cheek.

Tobin stirs "Five more minutes." She groans out half asleep.

"As much as I like having you half naked on top of me, my arm is going numb. We should go lay in bed.

Tobin lifts her head and sighs, wiping the side of her mouth with the back of her hand. She sits up on her knees and looks at Christen through sleep-filled eyes. "Ok I'm up. Take me to bed." She smiles crookedly

Christen gets up and grabs Tobin's hand, leading her through the house, up the stairs, and into her childhood bedroom. Tobin climbs in and slips under the covers, holding the blanket up for Christen to join her. Christen scoots into Tobin's waiting body until her butt fits into the crook of Tobin's hips and legs. Tobin brings her arm down and drapes it over Christen's waist, pulling her in tighter.

"By the way, don't expect me to be a pillow queen in this relationship. I'm just so tired. My body won't cooperate with what I want it to do." Tobin says into Christen's back.

Christen smiles and quips flirtatiously "Oh don't worry, I can think of a few things I'd like to do with you, but we'll save that for tomorrow. You'll need your energy so get some sleep."

Christen feel Tobin's lips curl into a smile against her back. "Ok. Goodnight Chris."

"Goodnight Tobs."

*****

Christen is awoken suddenly by Tobin. She's shaken and the bed beneath her quakes and squeaks as Tobin jumps on the bed like a child on Christmas morning. The sun has barely started to rise and the room remains dim, but Christen can make out the slender body of Tobin hopping all around her. "Chris, Christen, get up get up get up! Come look at this!" Tobin squeals excitedly.

"I thought you were a late sleeper, what the hell." Christen groans

"I know, I usually am, but this is too good to miss. Come on!"

Tobin grabs Christen by the wrist and drags her out of bed, rushing her downstairs and into the living room. They come to stand in front of the large windows in the back of the house. "You didn't tell me this was your view!" Tobin gestures toward the window. The house sits on a cliff overlooking the ocean and the rising sun just starts to illuminate the waves crashing on the private sandy beach bellow.

"I came down to pee and saw the view. I guess I didn't notice it last night cus it was dark. Shit Christen, this is beautiful." Tobin stood in awe next to the girl, grabbing her hand and giving it a tight squeeze."Please tell me there are surfboard somewhere in this house." Tobin pleads with desperation and excitement in her voice.

Christen rubs her eye with the heel of her palm and gives Tobin a sleepy grin. "Yeah, we have a couple in the garage. You want to take them out?"

Tobin nods her head vehemently.

"Ok ok" Christen chuckles at the puppy dog eyes Tobin shoots her. "Come on, let's get our bathing suits. Wait, I'm not sure I have an extra here anymore"

"I brought one to camp, don't worry. I like to be prepared, just in case."

The girls grab their suitcases which had been left by the front door, and bring them up to the bedroom. Christen goes through a dresser drawer, and pulls out an old sun-bleached bathing suit. "I think this is probably from high school or something." Christen laughs at the tattered article of clothing, presenting it to Tobin. "I hope it still fits ok."

She looks over and sees Tobin unzip her bag cautiously, as if it were an adult sized Jack in the box. Sure enough, once the zipper is released, the top of the suitcase flys open and dirty T-shirts and shorts are launched across the room. They laugh hard at this display and rifle through the bag to find the pieces of Tobin's bikini. Satisfied with her discovery, Tobin smiles and removes her shirt, starting to change. Christen blushes, still slightly uncomfortable with their new intimacy. Tobin looks over her shoulder and sees the embarrassed expression on Christen's face. "Hey, it's ok, you can see me naked. I mean, I don't mind." Tobin says, standing in her underwear. She takes a step toward Christen and raises her arms in the air, encouraging Christen to remove the black sports bra covering Tobin's chest. Christen bites her lip and smiles crookedly, and slides her fingers under the band before pulling the snug elastic up over Tobin's chest. Christen drops the bra on the floor and takes in the sight of Tobin's bare breasts. She raises her hands up to cup them and fully feel the soft skin beneath her.

Tobin smiles, "See, that wasn't so scary". She leans in and takes Christen's bottom lip between hers, sucking gently. "Now, if you want some privacy, that's fine. I just want you to be comfortable."

Christen swallows and nods her head. "I just, do you think you could just like, turn around or something? I'm not sure I'm ready yet." She winces, hoping she hasn't offend Tobin.

Tobin lets out a quick laugh. "Yeah that's fine." She twirls around and finishes changing herself. Christen admires Tobin's bare back and watches her slide down her underwear to reveal her ass which can only be described as fucking cute. Pulling her mind from the gutter,Christen admonishes herself and begins changing hurriedly. She pulls on the top and ties the strings in the back tightly. She then pulls up the bottoms which are significantly more snug than she remembered them fitting in high school. Her cheeks hang out of the slightly too small bottoms, but they'll have to do. "Ok I'm done." She says to Tobin.

Tobin turns around and is all smiles. Christen spins around playfully, giving Tobin the complete look. "Ok forget the sunrise, this is the best view I've seen all day." She says wrapping her hands around Christen's bare waist, giving her a hard kiss on the lips. Tobin begrudgingly pulls away and breaks the kiss. "As much as I enjoy kissing you, I really want to go down to the water and catch some waves while they're still breaking this well."

"Ok, let's go look for those boards in the garage." Christen says, leading the girl back down the stairs and into the garage. She flicks on the lights and Tobin takes a look around the room, noticing the assorted I sports equipment, tool boxes, and yes, two long boards hanging up on the wall. Christen takes down one and hands it over to Tobin and then grabs the other one and sticks it under her arm. She clicks a button and the garage door gradually lifts to reveal the front yard. Before the door is fully up, Christen ducks underneath, excited to take Tobin to the beach. Tobin follows suit and Christen leads them to a set of stairs heading down to the beach. Christen breathes in the salty air and looks to see Tobin doing the same. They come to a stop when their toes meet the sand and admire the rolling waves, breaking perfectly.

Tobin smiles so wide, Christen can see teeth she's never seen before. "You ready?" Tobin asks excitedly.

"Before we go out there, I just want you to know, I'm not like, an expert surfer or anything. Actually, I've only ever gone out a handful of times." Christen grimaces, hoping this doesn't put a damper on Tobin's surfing trip.

"That's ok. How about I help you out? Show you some tricks to riding that perfect wave." She says, giving Christen the "hang loose" gesture in an attempt at humor.

"Yeah ok. Just don't let me get stuck under the wave and we'll be good"

With that, the two run out into the water and ease their way onto the board to begin paddling out. They dive with their boards under multiple waves and eventfully make it to a satisfactory spot in the water. Tobin sits up on her board and watches as Christen does too, looking a tad uneasy about her current situation. "How about this first one, I just watch you so I can see what you got." Tobin shouts across the water.

Christen gives her a quick thumbs up before looking back to asses the wave behind her. She waits a few moments before a wave starts rolling in behind them. Christen lays on her belly and paddles hard as the wave picks up steam. Just as the wave starts breaking, Christen moves to pop up on her board, but is unbalanced and flips over before she's able to stand. She gets tossed in the current like a rag doll, holding her breath calmly until she's able to swim to the surface. She follows her ankle line to her board and comes up for a breath. Climbing back onto her board, Christen paddles back toward Tobin, avoiding a few waves in the process. She breathes heavily as she comes to a stop near Tobin.

"This is why I don't come surfing more, I never get up right and I end up eating shit. What am I doing wrong?"

Tobin looks at her and thinks for a moment, scratching her cheek. "It looked like you timed your wave fine, but just couldn't get balanced. What foot do you bring forward when you go to get up?"

"My left I think. Is that wrong?"

"Tobin laughs a little, "No no, there's nothing wrong with that, it's just preference. But you might be goofy footed like me. Next time, try putting your right foot forward, see if that helps."

"Hey what are you trying to say about my feet?!" Christen pouts playfully

"Just go do it." Tobin splashes water at her rolling her eyes and smiling.

Christen begins paddling again to set herself up for another wave. Again she paddles hard and again she waits until the wave just begins to break to stand up. This time however, she pops up with her right foot forward. To her amazement, she stands all the way up and balances herself on the board. She shoots her arms up in the air in celebration and rides the wave all the way to the beach. She hops off the board and turns back toward the ocean to see Tobin's silhouette fists pumping in the air and arms raised, clapping together. She hears faint whooping and hollering from the distance mixed with the crashing of the waves against the shore. She takes a bow from where she stands and gets back on her board eager to paddle back out and celebrate her victory with Tobin.

When she finally makes it all the way back out, she's greeted with a proud grinning Tobin. "Chris! That was so good! You looked perfect!"

Christen sits up and brushes the hair from her face revealing a toothy smile. "Oh my god that was amazing! I couldn't have done it without you Tobs. Best teacher ever!"

Unable to lean in for a kiss, they settle for an epic high five, smiling and laughing next to each other.

Christen catches a few more waves before calling it a day. She paddles in and rests on the warm sand, exhausted from fighting the waves. She watches Tobin, the sole figure on the water. She looks so natural paddling out and riding waves effortlessly time and time again. She zig zags across waves and expertly dives in when she sees the ride finishing up. Christen watches in awe at the display of grace and athleticism, unaware that surfing could look so beautiful. After a while, Tobin tires too and rides a wave in to the beach. She picks up her board and tosses it gently next to Christen's before taking a seat beside the dark haired girl. Tobin's skin is cool and wet as it brushes Christen's sun soaked skin.

"How was it champ?" Christen asks

"Ah, just what I needed. That was beyond perfect. Thanks for taking me out here." Tobin responds enthusiastically

"Yeah of course. It was fun watching you surf. You're so good! You make it look easy. If the soccer thing doesn't work out, you might have a career in surfing, or at least teaching surfing lessons."

"Ah I don't know about that, but you know, being a surf instructor wouldn't be such a bad gig. I think I could get used to doing this all day every day, especially if I have students as hot as you." She gives Christen a wink.

Christen blushes slightly, "I'm sure the girls would come flocking to take lessons from the great Tobin Heath." Christen teases.

They sit together, warming their skin and drying their bodies in the sunlight. Christen's stomach breaks the peaceful silence with a loud grumble. "I guess that's our cue to get something to eat." She says patting her stomach. "You ready to head in and grab some breakfast or lunch or whatever meal it is?"

Tobin nods and the two stand up slowly, brushing the sand from their skin as best as they can. They each grab a board and head back to the house for some much needed nourishment.

Back at the house, Tobin sits at the bar swiveling back and forth in her barstool as she watches Christen shuffle around the kitchen, pulling out every pot in the cabinet. "What are you even making?" Tobin questions as she takes a sip of fresh coffee.

"I don't know if you know this, but I make a mean omelet." Christen says proudly.

"Guess I'll have to be the judge of that." Tobin says, leaning back a bit.

After completing their omelet meal, the girls are stuffed to the brim. They lean back, melting into their chairs as they digest, satisfied.

Tobin groans, "ok ok, you are the omelet master. I bow to your eggy greatness."

"Glad you enjoyed it." Christen hums to herself, "hmmm. You want to go lay out by the pool for a bit? Finish drying off?"

"Yeah that sounds really good. A nap in the sun sounds perfect." Tobin says stretching her arms in the air.

They put their plates in the sink, vowing to clean them up later, and head out to the back patio. They recline on lounge chairs near the pool and bask in the midday sun. Christen lays on her back, face to the sun, while Tobin opts to sprawl on her belly with her arms outstretched. Christen turns her head toward Tobin and watches as Tobin unties the back of her bikini, leaving her back completely bare. Christen bites her lip, swooning all over again at the sight of the unadulterated tan skin. Tobin looks over at Christen and smirks at the girl fawning over her. They rest lazily and flip over once or twice to avoid burning under the intense rays. Eventually, Christen can't take the heat any longer and rises from her chair.

"I'm so hot, I can't lay in the sun any longer. I'm gonna jump in the pool." She announces to Tobin who now lays on her back with her eyes closed. Christen readjusts her swimsuit bottoms in an attempt to cover her cheeks that keep popping out beneath the fabric. She looks over her shoulder and catches Tobin watching her out of one eye with the other still closed, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand like a visor. Deciding to put on a bit of a show, Christen dips a toe in the water to test the temperature before recalling years of swimming lessons to gracefully dive in. She surfaces from the water and runs her hands over her hair to get it out of her face. She opens her eyes and sees Tobin sitting up, gazing intently at Christen.

"How's the water?" Tobin asks squinting her eyes in the bright sunlight.

Christen spits out a bit of water and runs her hand over her face. "Come find out for yourself." Christen replies playfully.

Tobin chuckles and swings her legs over the lounge chair and stands, her top still hanging loosely around her neck just barely covering the breasts beneath. Christen swallows hard at the sight, and tastes the chlorine on her lips as she glides her tongue across the pink skin. Tobin gives her a devilish grin, knowing full well what she's doing to Christen, and pulls the fabric up over her head, revealing herself fully. Christen's heart rate increases as she sees that Tobin isn't stopping with her top. She slides her fingers under the elastic of her bottoms and slowly shimmies them down her toned legs until they hit the stone of the patio. She steps out of them and saunters over to the pool as if in slow motion. Christen gawks at girl in front of her. Her body looks as if it had been cut from stone yet somehow maintains a natural femininity. Christen, so overwhelmed by Tobin's natural beauty and raw effortless sex appeal, leaves her mouth hanging agape as she tries to burn this image into her mind.

Tobin takes a small leap and dives into the pool, surfacing a few feet from Christen. She swims over with half her face still underwater and her caramel hair trailing behind her, locking eyes with Christen as if stalking her prey. As she gets closer, she stands up and reaches out for Christen, pulling her in by the waist until their bodies rest against each other. "I thought we could go skinny dipping." She says in a low sultry voice.

Melting, Christen's mind fails to come up with anything to reply. All Christen's inhibitions are lost in the glowing honey eyes staring intensely at her. The look of want in Tobin's eyes melt away any lack of confidence Christen may have felt about her body. With this look, Christen knows that Tobin wants her, no needs her, wholly.

With this surge of confidence, Christen reaches behind her back and pulls the string of her bikini until it hangs loose around her neck. Tobin grabs the strings around her neck and pulls them up over Christen's head, letting the top float away in the water. She takes in the sight of Christen's breasts, her nipples hardened from the cold water and the touch of skin on skin. Tobin's hands rise out of the water to take them in her hands fully. Feeling them beneath the skin of her palms and fingertips, she grazes over Christen's nipples lightly, causing Christen's knees to weaken beneath the water and her eyes flutter closed. Tobin closes the gap between them and collects Christen's lips between her own. Christen, still recovering from sensory overload, kisses back roughly, forgetting how tired she was from the day's activities. Tobin's hands slide all over Christen's body, covering her skin with trails of water from her fingertips. Tobin's hands make it to Christen's ass and they grab the cheeks, firmly squeezing and playing with the fabric covering them.

"You look so fucking sexy in these by the way." Tobin says in Christen's ear, her voice dripping with want for the girl. Christen feels Tobin's teeth bite down on the thin skin of her neck and she audibly moans at the sensation.

Tobin brings her hands to the front of Christen, dragging her fingers down her shoulders, collarbones, breast, stomach, and dipping under the water to cup her center. "Don't think I forgot that it's your turn." Tobin whispers low in Christen's ear.

Under the cool water, Tobin's fingers slide across Christen's warm center, stroking and exploring the area. Christen leans on her and wraps her arms around Tobin's shoulders for support.

They stand in the center of the pool intertwined until Christen retracts taking in shallow breaths. "Tobin, I really want you--but I--can we--bed? Inside?" She struggles to get out the words with Tobin's fingers still working beneath the water.

Tobin nods and retracts her hands. They quickly jump out of the pool, leaving the pieces of their bathing suits strewn about. Christen grabs Tobin's hand giggling as the half jog inside, still dripping wet. They climb the stairs leaving wet footprints behind them all the way to Christen's bedroom. Once inside, Tobin wraps herself around Christen and guides her to lay on the bed. Tobin climbs on top of Christen and hovers over her, placing kisses anywhere her lips come in contact with skin. She brings her lips back to Christen and kisses her hard. The taste of pool water licked from her body permeates Christen's mouth and she knows immediately the taste will now forever remind her of this moment.

Christen squirms beneath Tobin, trying to urge the girl to touch her in the place a growing tension is building. "Tobin, I need you. I need you to touch me." She groans.

Not wanting to tease the girl any more, Tobin places her hand between Christen's legs to her hot center. She sighs upon feeling how wet Christen is, running her fingers across the slick area. Her fingers stroke lightly at first, becoming aquatinted with the area, only brushing Christen's clit in passing. The sensation is excruciating and Christen's hips rear up, searching for more contact. The desperation in her movements is palpable. "Ah, Tobin--I'm so wet--you feel so good." For such a typically quiet person, Christen becomes increasingly vocal as the arousal builds inside her. A string of expletives leave her mouth in sighs as Tobin picks up the pace, circling her clit a little more deliberately now. Christen's hips grind into Tobin's hand, searching for relief.

Tobin places kisses along Christen's neck down her chest, and spend some time on her nipples, circling and flicking each hardened peak with her tongue. Her multitasking earns Tobin scratches up her back as Christen's hands claw for something to hold onto. Encouraged, Tobin continues her decent and makes a trail of kisses down Christen's stomach all the way to her center.

She stops briefly to look up at Christen to make sure she's still with her. Christen sees Tobin's eyes, dark with want, her chest heaving up and down. "Babe" Christen manages to get out a single syllable before Tobin dives in, fully taking the girl in her mouth.

Christen is intoxicated by the new stimulation, overwhelming her senses. Tobin takes a long slow lick, tongue flat against Christen's center to cover as much area as possible. "Fuck" Christen moans out loudly. Tobin does this a few times, each time earning a sigh or moan from the girl beneath her.

Tobin brings her arms up under Christen, so her muscular thighs rest on top of Tobin's shoulders. Tobin continues with this new leverage, and pushes harder into Christen, rocking herself slightly into the girl as she increases her pace. Christen's hips move in sync with Tobin as they find a rhythm together. Tobin's tongue dances around Christen's clit in large swooping circles.

"Fuck, Tobin--faster." Christen begs, her hips bucking wildly to generate friction. Tobin picks up her pace forming smaller tighter circles around Tobin's clit. Christen can feel herself dripping into Tobin's mouth as she comes impossibly close to the edge.

"Shit--fuck. Tobin, I'm gonna come--I'm-- Tobin..." Christen's body shakes with pleasure as every muscle in her body tenses and releases. Tobin's name tumbles out of Christen's mouth in satisfied sighs as the euphoria washes over her. Christen's body relaxes and sinks into the bed as she takes long deep breaths in an attempt to recover.

Tobin takes one last long lick, lapping up the taste of Christen. She comes back up placing haphazard kisses up Christen's body until she falls on top of her, resting her full weight on the girl. Christen's arms wrap around the girl and her fingers run up and down the expanse of Tobin's back, rewarding her for a job well done.

They lay like this for several moments, wanting to drag out this moment as long as possible. Finally, Tobin breaks the silence. "Was that--was I--ok?" She questions into Christen's chest, uncharacteristically unsure of herself.

Christen shifts and lifts Tobin's head up with her hand to look her in the eyes. "Tobin, that was incredible. Even better than I could have ever imagined." Christen says reassuringly

Tobin smirks. "So you've imagined it before?" She teases

Christen smiles and lets out a laugh. "Yeah to be totally honest."

Tobin props herself up on her elbows to get a better look at Christen's face. "Really? When?"

Christen smiles and blushes lightly. "Uh, you remember that first practice when you gave me that bottle of shampoo?"

Tobin scrunches her eyebrows together, clearly wondering where this was going. "Uh, yeah."

Christen continues, "Well, one night after a recovery session I was taking a shower and I used your shampoo and it just made me think of you. In the shower. Naked. I couldn't help myself."

"I'll have to remember to use that shampoo more often if that's the effect it has one you. So kinks include biting and shampoo. Got it." Tobin chuckles, pretending to make check marks on an invisible clip board.

"It's not the shampoo that turns me on weirdo, it's that you smell like it. Smell is very closely linked to memory." Christen teases.

"Thanks for the lesson Dr. Freud." Tobin quips, kissing Christen on the shoulder.

"So it was everything you imagined?" Tobin says softly.

"Everything and more." Christen says, kissing Tobin gently.

***

The day goes on into the night and into the next day, and the next. The hours filled with flirtatious taunts, touching, surfing, caressing, kissing, snacks, cumming, coffee, Netflix, and laughing. Lots of laughing. They created a bubble for themselves over their three days together and were reticent to go back to the outside world. But a text from Alex threw them back in...hard.

Tobin's phone chimes with a text message alert. Christen and Tobin lay on the couch play fighting over who should be in charge of the remote. Their laughter dies down as Tobin gets up to check her phone. "This isn't over Press" she says pointedly at the girl with a grin on her face.

Tobin grabs her phone off the kitchen counter and opens the text message.

A: Hey are you ok? Those bitches are psycho! I'm so sorry

Tobin stares at her phone puzzled.

"What's wrong?" Christen asks, wondering why Tobin looks so concerned.

"Alex sent me this cryptic message about some pictures. I don't know what she's talking about. Hold on." Tobin types out a message back to Alex.

T: Pictures? What are you talking about?

A: Fuck, you haven't seen them? You and Chris are all over social media.

Tobin's eyes widen in panic as she feverishly googles her name and Christen's. Immediately, several pictures of them kissing and holding hands in the beach spring up, albeit blurry pictures, but there's no mistaking Tobin's broad shoulders and Christen's slender frame.

"Fuck" is all Tobin can get out.

"What? What's the matter? Is everything ok?" Christen asks, getting up to come stand by Tobin.

Tobin thrusts her phone toward Christen so she can see the pictures. Christen grasps the phone in her hands and swipes through several pictures, looking intently at them.

"That's us. What the fuck. Where did those come from?" Christen too feels panic overcome her, internalizing the gravity of the situation.

"Yeah, I'm not sure. Some creep must have seen us and taken some pictures while we weren't paying attention." She stalks around the living room, fuming. "We'll sue them for trespassing or something, right? I thought you said this was a private beach!?" Tobin's voice raises and becomes louder, her yelling not really directed toward anyone.

"Well technically, no. You can't really own a beach in California, so really, as long as you stay on the sand, you aren't trespassing." Christen explains in a rather clinical tone.

"Fuck! This wasn't supposed to happen. This is why I don't do all the Twitter, Instagram bullshit cus THIS happens!" Tobin paces the room, her train of thought leaving her mouth before she has a chance to filter it. "Why would someone stalk us like that? That's fucking sick! I swear to god if I see that fucker I'm going to kill him!"

Christen is just as angry as Tobin, but she knows it wouldn't help the situation for both of them to be explosive right now, so Christen tries to keep her composure and talk through it rationally. "Ok, calm down, it's ok. You know what? It's probably just some 14 year old fan girl who has a crush on you and they wanted a picture. Look, you can't even really tell that's us. It's all blurry. That could be anyone! It's just stupid people on social media speculating about us because they have nothing better to do. So let them speculate and we'll just have to be more careful about how we interact with each other in public. Ok? Tobin, we're fine!"

Tobin eyes the photos, trying to take in what Christen has said. "Yeah, I guess they are kinda blurry pictures... I don't know though, I'd recognize that ass anywhere." She says, trying to make light of the situation.

Christen rolls her eyes but is glad Tobin has calmed down. "I think if we address it, it'll just incriminate us more, so let's just let it go, have people speculate for the next week, and then it'll be fine, they'll move on."

"Damn it." Tobin curses slumping back onto the couch. Christen comes around and sits next to her, putting a reassuring hand on Tobin's knee. They sit together silently, understanding the gravity of the situation and the questions these pictures bring up. What will people think? Not just fans but their team mates and family too. They hadn't told anyone about their relationship. But how could they have had time? They themselves hadn't exactly talked about how to define their relationship yet anyway. And how could this affect sponsorships? With such shitty league salaries, they relied heavily on sponsorships to pay the bills. Does a company want to sponsor the token lesbian couple on the team? And is there some clause in their national team contract about dating team mates? Could we get fired?

"I have to make some phone calls" Tobin says numbly as she gets up from the couch and walks into the study, closing the door behind her. While Christen listens to inaudible murmurs in the nearby room, she scrolls through the pictures taken and reads the lines and lines of comments. So far, no news stories, just social media speculation. Thank god soccer isn't popular in America. Most of the comments aren't negative like Christen expected. Some of them are actually sweet or funny. And she's surprised to see that most negative comments are shot down immediately and admonished by other commenters. She smiles, maybe this isn't such a big deal.

After a while, Tobin emerges from the room looking drained. "I talked to coach and told her what was going on. She agreed that we should just ignore it for now and keep a low profile."

"Was she mad about us being together?" Christen asks

"No she didn't seem mad. Apparently this happens and there's not really much they can do about it. She just said that no matter what happens, we're expected to be professional on and off the field."

Christen nods her head in agreement. "Right, well that's a relief. Is that the only person you talked to?"

Tobin sighed and came to sit next to Christen. "No I called my parents too. I didn't want them to hear about it from someone else. I think they've been hoping for the possibility that me being gay was a phase and I had gotten it out of my system or whatever. They weren't mad when I told them about you, but they weren't exactly happy about it either. Kind of disappointed I guess. It sucks. I wish they were more supportive."

Christen shifts to turn and face Tobin on the couch, who is looking down at her hands, deep in thought. Tobin continues, "They're just so religious you know? How religion and sexuality have anything to do with one another I will never know, but they just don't seem to get that I didn't choose this. I mean, why would I choose a lifestyle that disappoints them. I've gone my whole life trying to please them! They always tell me 'hate the sin not the sinner' but that seems just as bad. I don't want my parents thinking I lead this life of sin just because I love a woman. That's fucked up, it's bullshit."

The tears that had been collecting in Tobin's eyes finally fall as she breaks down and sobs into Christen's chest. Christen wraps her arms around Tobin stroking her back to sooth her. "Shh. It's ok." Christen pulls out her phone and brings up one of the pictures with comments beneath. "Look. I thought it was a disaster too, but look how supportive most people are. I don't think it's as big of a deal as we might think. I mean, I'm not suggesting that I shout from the rooftops that your my girlfriend, but I think we'll be ok."

Tobin sniffles and wipes tears from her eyes and cheeks, "Girlfriend?" She says softly with a slight smile on her lips

Christen's cheeks warm and turn a light shade of pink. "Well I mean, I was thinking--if you want to be. I just thought--we have fun and...."

Before Christen can finish her rambling thought, Tobin interjects "Chris, of course I'll be your girlfriend."

They share a sweet kiss, reassuring each other that they're in this together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! Thanks everyone for reading and giving such positive feedback. This was a good first run, so maybe future sorties are on the horizon.


End file.
